


drabble dumpster

by BlackVultures



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Drabble Collection, F/F, F/M, M/M, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-02-04 20:57:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 68
Words: 21,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21402949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackVultures/pseuds/BlackVultures
Summary: A home for my Tumblr drabbles, which are all MacDalton unless stated otherwise! Posted in the order they're received/written over there. Each chapter is its own universe, has its own rating, and they aren't edited before I share them.
Relationships: Desiree "Desi" Nguyen/Russ Taylor, Jack Dalton/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Riley Davis/Desiree "Desi" Nguyen, Russ Taylor/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Comments: 198
Kudos: 258





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First one is for the lovely [Orianess](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Orianess/pseuds/Orianess) \- go read her fics ASAP! 
> 
> **Rating: T  
  
Prompt: “Please don’t lie to me again, I can’t take it.”**

“Please don’t lie to me again,” Mac said, hardly recognizing his own voice as he turned away from Jack’s pleading expression. “I can’t take it.”

“You think me tellin’ you I’m in love with you is me _lyin’_ to you?” Jack asked incredulously. The Texas in him tended to come out when he was upset, and this was no exception. “You think I spent eleven hours on a plane pacing around and rehearsing that speech like a goddamn crazy person so I could lie to you? Me, who’s _never_ lied to you - ”

“Bullshit!” Mac spat, spinning back around to face him and blinking back the tears stinging his eyes. “If you feel that way about me - “ he doesn’t, why would he “ - then why did you tell me I was your _good friend_? Why did you shake my hand like we were strangers?”

“Because I thought that was what you wanted!” Jack retorted, and they were yelling now, attracting attention in the Phoenix hallways; Mac’s clothes were half burned off from some exploding ordinance on his last mission with Desi and Jack was still in his uniform, wrinkled from his flight. “You ran away, Mac - not just from your old man, but from me and everybody else who cares about you! You coulda punched me in the face and it would’ve hurt less.”

Punching him is something Mac’s seriously contemplating, pacifism be damned. “Is that why you never called me while you were gone? Was that your way of getting me back for Nigeria?”

Jack’s dark eyes flashed with hurt, but then they softened into something Mac had only ever seen directed at him. “No,” he murmured, taking two big steps and closing the distance between them. His hands hovered in the air for a moment before they landed tentatively on Mac’s hips, and without conscious thought Mac found himself putting his arms around Jack’s neck - not to strangle him, just to hold. “I was afraid if I heard your voice I wouldn’t finish the mission.”

Mac’s gaze roamed Jack’s face, and he didn’t see a trace of deception in the familiar lines and edges of his expression... only remorse, and affection. “You mean it?” he asked in a whisper, hardly daring to believe that this could be real, that after all those years of pining and pain he could have what he wanted.

Jack leaned in and pressed their lips together in a kiss, smiling against Mac’s mouth. “Does this feel like I’m lying?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's for [Rai_Knightshade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rai_Knightshade)! 
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: “Quit touching me, your feet are cold!”**

Huddled under both of their double-insulated winter coats, four blankets, and a set of curtains, Mac and Jack shivered in the drafty, dark cabin they were forced to take shelter in during a freak snowstorm in Nebraska. Chattering teeth and howling wind outside were the only sounds, aside from the occasional elaborate curse from Jack. Their phones were dead, and even if they weren’t, exfil wouldn’t be an option when the visibility was barely three feet in any direction. 

“Quit touching me, your feet are cold!” Mac hissed, kicking at Jack’s shins.

“You’re always complainin’ about that, and that’s when I’m not wearing socks,” Jack grumbled, sticking his feet even deeper between Mac’s calves in retaliation. He also wrapped his arms tighter around Mac’s body, pulling him in close and kissing his hair. “Would you love me if I didn’t have feet?”

Mac glanced up at him. “What kind of question is that?”

“Because I would love you if you didn’t have feet,” Jack continued, as if Mac hadn’t spoken. His hands snuck up the back of Mac’s three layers of shirts and stayed there. “I don’t think there’s a scenario where I couldn’t love you.”

“Babe, that’s very romantic,” Mac told him, pressing his ice cube nose against Jack’s neck and shutting his eyes. “Not sure how it’s relevant here, though.”

“Well, neither one of us has brushed our teeth or taken a shower for several days,” Jack said, one of those cold hands slipping lower, until it rested on Mac’s ass. “And I can think of way we could get warm, but it might be... smelly.”

Mac tipped his head back until he could nip at Jack’s chin. “Are you suggesting skin-to-skin contact because it’s a valid way to stave off hypothermia, or because you’re horny?”

Jack grinned at him before he pinned him to the mattress. “Why can’t it be both?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The legendary [badwolfrun](https://archiveofourown.org/users/badwolfrun/pseuds/badwolfrun) requested this one! Thank you MK! <333
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: "Forget it, you're a fucking asshole."**

“You know, of all the ways I thought this could go - and believe me, I came up with _all_ of them - I didn’t expect that ‘Jack’s a homophobe’ was the scenario that would play out,” Mac said, a ragged parody of a laugh grating out of him as he stared at Jack’s red face and disgusted expression. “You have no idea how many times I’ve dreamed about telling you how I really feel, and it turns out the nightmares were more accurate. I wish - no, you know what? Forget it, you’re a fucking asshole. We’re done.”

And he turned on his heel and walked away, even though it felt like ripping off the world’s biggest Band-Aid, like he was leaving a part of himself further and further behind with every step he took. He’d expected to be rejected, sure, but because Jack was gorgeous and funny and could be with anyone in the world - not because he’d looked at Mac with a mixture of surprise and disgust and said with all the force of a whip, “What, so you’re a queer or somethin’?”

Mac managed to hold it together until he got home, killing his truck’s engine in the driveway and just staring at the house for a moment. Then he palmed his keys, went inside, and lost his shit on the couch. Luckily Bozer had moved out a while ago to be with Leanna, so he could cry as loud as he wanted to and nobody would hear him. It would’ve been one thing for Jack to let him down gently, to tell him no because he wasn’t interested in Mac like that... not because he had a problem with the fact that Mac was bisexual. They lived in Los Angeles, for Christ’s sake - if Jack was a bigot, why had it taken so long to come out? (Pun not intended.)

Before Mac could contemplate it further, there was a loud, insistent banging on his front door, and when he glanced out the window he saw Jack’s GTO. Anger welled up in place of his grief and he marched to the door, wrenching it open to glare at the man he was in love with. “What do _you_ want?”

“I’m sorry,” Jack blurted out, dark eyes wide and pleading. “Mac, you gotta understand - where I’m from, we don’t talk about shit like that, _ever_, and it was taboo as hell in the military too. I’m not... I don’t... you’re _you_, and I don’t have a problem with that, I never could.” He rubbed a hand over his stubble and glanced away. “Plus, it’d be awfully hypocritical of me if I did.”

Some of the heavy emotions drained from Mac, replaced with something that felt dangerously like hope. “How do you figure that?”

“I think... I don’t know if it’s you or guys in general, but...” Jack was clearly having a hard time expressing himself, probably because he was used to repressing the subject of his sexuality. “You’re just about the prettiest damn thing I’ve ever seen and I’ve spent years trying to deny it.”

Mac chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment before reaching out to grab the front of Jack’s leather jacket. “Get in here, then, and we’ll figure it out. Together.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's for CicciTheDreamer! :D
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: "I can't do anything right."**

Mac hiccupped where he was slumped in the corner of Jack’s apartment, a half-empty bottle of whiskey clutched in long fingers and tear tracks on his face. “I can’t do anything right... not without you, Jack.” He was aware that he sounded like a crazy person, talking to his boyfriend’s empty house while he was away on a dangerous mission, but after Mason and Charlie and his dad’s little revelation, he didn’t know what else to do. “I fucked up, and I know I’m going to it again and get somebody else I love killed. At least you aren’t here for that.”

“About that, hoss,” a familiar gravelly voice said from the doorway, making Mac startle so badly he dropped the Jack Daniels. “I think I’m here to take away some of your bad juju.”

Jack looked... rough, unshaven and worn-down, but Mac didn’t give a damn. He launched himself out of the (now wet) corner, teetering slightly as he stumbled over and threw his arms around Jack, hugging him tightly. He smelled like desert and plane, like he hadn’t showered in a week, and Mac pressed his face into his neck and breathed it in as Jack’s strong arms wound around him in return.

“Now what’s this I hear about you not bein’ able to do anything right?” Jack murmured near his ear, and Mac pulled back enough to look at him, leaning into it when Jack’s hand came up to brush his hair away from his face. “That must be the booze talking, because there’s no way in hell that’s true.”

Mac felt fresh tears roll down his cheeks. “Jack, I - “

“Desi told me,” Jack interjected gently, thumbing away Mac’s tears and pulling him in to kiss his forehead. “I’m sorry about Charlie, darlin’. But... it sounded like you did everything you could, and he made his choice.”

“Doesn’t make it hurt any less,” Mac mumbled, shutting his eyes as Jack tugged him over to the couch so they could curl up together. Something occurred to him, and he leaned back enough to look Jack over. “Are you okay?”

Jack smiled at him, eyes crinkling at the corners as he leaned in to kiss Mac on the mouth this time. “Never better, baby. And you’re gonna be okay too.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This INCREDIBLY angsty drabble is for [blackrose1002](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackrose1002/pseuds/blackrose1002). Sorry not sorry.
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: "Do you even still love me?"**

Curled up in an uncomfortable plastic chair, surrounded by the beeps and rasps of the machines keeping Jack alive, Mac wondered not for the first time what the hell he was doing. It had been nearly two years since Jack left to hunt down Kovacs, and in that time he hadn’t come home once - whether that was by choice or by orders, Mac didn’t know. All he knew was that it hurt, but not nearly as bad as it had hurt to have Desi become the middleman in their admitted already fragile relationship.

If they even _had_ a relationship. Mac wasn’t clear on the details, but when you only spend a week rolling around in bed before the man you love shakes your hand and leaves you, does it count? He wasn’t sure. 

But when the call had come in that Jack was badly injured in an explosion directly following Kovacs’ death, Mac had gotten on the first plane out to London. He wasn’t alone, not by a long shot - the whole team was there, even his father - but even with them popping in and out of the room or staying overnight to keep him company, everything felt hollow.

“I missed you, you know,” he told Jack, his voice rough from disuse. He hardly spoke when there was someone responsive in the room, let alone with Jack... but the nurse had told them on the first day of Jack’s coma that he might be able to hear them. Since he was staring down three weeks, Mac thought he’d try something new. “More than anything... more than I miss my mom, if you can believe that.” He put his hand over Jack’s, tentatively, careful not to disrupt the IV or jostle his breathing tube. “Where did I fuck up, Jack? Where did _we_ fuck up, huh?”

Mac couldn’t stifle a sob, one lone tear tracking down his cheek as he shoved his free fist in front of his mouth. It took him a moment to get his shit together, but when he did, he had to ask the question that had been nagging at him since the day Jack called him his good friend and walked out the door: “Do you even still love me?”

Dead silence was his answer, but then what else had he expected?


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one for [blackrose1002](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackrose1002/pseuds/blackrose1002)!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: "Leave! Me! Alone!"**

Mac loved and hated remembering the first time he saw Jack drunk. Not like lightly buzzed or half in the bag, but _really_ drunk. He loved it because it led to them (finally) getting together, but he hated it because of what had come out of Jack’s mouth. 

It was right after Jack came back from the Kovacs mission, and he wasn’t spending nearly as much time with the team as he used to. Everyone knew something was up, and naturally Mac was the one who was supposed to figure out what it was. That was okay with him - any excuse to spend time with Jack was okay in Mac’s book - but it wasn’t as easy as asking. 

Oh no, Jack Dalton had _layers_, and their friendship had suffered in the time that he was away; Mac couldn’t simply ask what was wrong because he wouldn’t get a straight answer and he’d be back to square one. So instead, he tracked Jack’s after-work movements and found him in a shitty dive bar near his apartment building, completely shitfaced.

He blinked slowly when Mac took the bar stool next to him, hands clutching a half-empty whiskey glass. “What’re you doin’ here?”

“Driving you home, evidently,” Mac replied, waving off the bartender when she approached. “What’s going on, buddy?”

“M’fine,” Jack mumbled, tossing back the rest of his drink. The circles under his eyes were more evident in this lighting, and his skin was flushed and clammy with sweat. “You know good ol’ Jacky, always okie-dokie.”

“You’re an excellent liar, but not with me.” Mac put a hand on his shoulder. “Jack, come on - “

Jack shrugged off his hand, maybe more violently than necessary. “Leave me alone, Mac. Believe me when I tell you you don’t wanna know what’s wrong with me.”

“No,” Mac said. “Jack, there’s no way I’m going to - “

Jack half-turned on his bar stool and shoved at Mac’s chest, not hard enough to knock him over but the intent was there. “Leave! Me! Alone!”

Mac grabbed Jack’s forearm, half to keep his balance and half to get his attention. “_No_! Now stop acting like a little kid and tell me what’s wrong!”

“I’m in love with you!” Jack shouted, making the entire bar come to a record-scratching standstill. When he realized what he’d said his whole body deflated, anger replaced with sadness. “There, are you happy now?”

“Immensely,” was Mac’s response, right before he reeled him in for a kiss that tasted like alcohol and possibilities.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for [Nevcolleil](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nevcolleil/pseuds/Nevcolleil), AKA one of my early inspirations for this fandom!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: "He's so pretty I think I'm gonna faint."**

“I’m... I’m in deep shit, Boze,” Mac said, slurring his words a little bit. He swayed to one side and made a startled sound when Bozer righted him to keep him from falling into the fire pit. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Bozer replied, his tone amused. They were the only ones by the fire currently - everybody else was playing ping-pong on the table that Desi had picked up by the side of the road. “This is the last time I buy wine spritzers for a party. What shit are you in, exactly?”

“Jack.” Mac burped and wrinkled his nose at the smell. “Jack’s back... and he has a beard.” And then in the type of poorly-timed stage whisper only the drunk can achieve, he said, “He’s so pretty I think I’m gonna faint.”

Everything around them went dead silent, the ping-pong ball striking James in the chest and skittering away on the deck. Leanna and Riley both had to stifle giggles behind their hands, and Desi and Matty both looked far too amused by Mac’s slip of the tongue and brain. Jack... looked _stunned_, like he was the one who’d gotten hit with the ping-pong ball but in the head.

Mac felt himself turn bright red from his chin to the roots of his hair, and he stood on shaky legs. “I - I’m sorry, I’ll just... I think I need to vomit now.”

He ran inside but only made it about halfway to the bathroom before the dizziness got the better of him and he leaned against the wall, sliding down it to sit on the floor a moment later. How could he have been so stupid, to just blurt that out like that? Jack was _straight_, and even if he wasn’t he didn’t feel that way about _Mac_. Now he was going to leave again, and nothing would make sense -

Movement behind him, and a familiar broad hand on his shoulder. “Mac? You gonna hurl on me if I turn you around?”

Mac turned himself, unable to resist the lure of Jack’s soft Texas drawl. “I’m sorry Jack, I - ”

Slightly chapped lips captured his in a clumsy kiss, and Mac was suddenly, incredibly grateful for the power of wine spritzers.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one for [Nevcolleil](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nevcolleil/pseuds/Nevcolleil)!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: "Are you hurt?" "No." "Then why are there bruises all over your face?"**

Mac skidded around a corner in a seemingly endless office building, ducking as a hail of bullets chased him, and yelped in surprise when he ran right into Jack. “Holy shit!” A big hand steadied his shoulder, and Mac peered into Jack’s eyes in the shadows. “Are you hurt?”

Jack glanced away to shoot a few bad guys coming up behind Mac before they continued running. “No.”

“Then why are there bruises all over your face?” Mac asked, slightly winded when they finally made it outside. “We need to keep moving, those charges I set are going to go off any second.”

They hustled out into the parking lot, ducking behind a large SUV just in time for the building to explode in a hail of concrete and steel. Now that they were in daylight the damage to Jack’s handsome face was even more apparent, and Mac touched his cheek lightly, wincing when Jack hissed and flinched. He felt around for cracked bones and was thankful that he didn’t find any.

“How much pain are you in?” Mac asked, shifting close enough to press a kiss to Jack’s jaw. They hadn’t been together long and usually PDA in the field wasn’t something they did, but Jack looked like he just went nine rounds with Mike Tyson. “Can you see through that black eye, or do you need me to drive the getaway car?”

“I’ll be fine, darlin’,” Jack replied, squeezing his arm and grinning, showing him bloodstained teeth. “It sucks, but I’ll live. And as for getaway driving, there’s no way in hell I’m lettin’ you do that. Remember what happened the last time?”

Mac made a face as they started walking again, searching for a car to steal. “I drive us off a cliff _one_ time and you never let me forget it...”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A prompt fill for [Kailene](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kailene/pseuds/Kailene)!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: "Nobody's seen you in days."**

“Jack, it’s me,” Mac said, knocking on the door to Jack’s apartment for the third time in under two minutes. He had a pizza in his other hand and a six-pack of Jack’s favorite beer sitting on the floor by his foot. “I know you’re in there, man, I can hear you breathing. Nobody’s seen you in days.”

The door opened a second later, slowly and reluctantly, and there was Jack... or a pale, sickly-looking shell of him. “Maybe that’s because I don’t wanna be seen,” he said, voice hoarse. “But I’ve had this plague for three days now, so I shouldn’t be contagious anymore.”

Mac rolled his eyes. “I know for a fact that you’ve had the _actual_ plague. I can’t help it you forgot to get a flu shot.” He picked up the beer and brushed past his boyfriend into his apartment, wrinkling his nose at the smell of old dishes and laundry. “You must feel like shit or you’d never put up with this mess.”

“Thought I was gonna die yesterday,” Jack comments, flopping back down on the couch and curling up inside a blanket. “Is that beer for me?”

“The pizza is,” Mac corrects, sitting down next to him and putting his spoils on the coffee table. “The beer is for me. Not a good idea to drink and take the meds you’re on.” Jack pouted and it was adorable but it didn’t sway Mac in the slightest - although the way he cuddled into Mac’s side almost did. Mac put his arm around his shoulders and pressed a kiss to the top of his head before reaching for the remote. “Wanna watch _Die Hard_?”

Jack sighs happily. “Yeah, I’ve been savin’ it until my quarantine was over and you could come by.” He nuzzled his face against Mac’s neck. “Love you, Angus.”

Mac smiled to himself. “Love you too, big guy.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is for [panchostokes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/badwolfrun/pseuds/panchostokes) <333
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: "tricks"**

Since they pulled their heads out of their asses and got together (Matty’s words, not theirs), Mac had learned something new about Jack almost every day. Sometimes the things were sweet, other times silly or serious, but they never stopped appearing and Mac was grateful for it.

For example, he knew what Jack looked and sounded like when he first woke up in the morning and felt completely relaxed and safe; where all of Jack’s ticklish places were, even if he wouldn’t admit he was ticklish anywhere; how he smiled almost every time against Mac’s mouth when they kissed; and how his hands felt when they touched every single part of Mac’s body.

Today’s lesson? Jack could do magic tricks.

Not _real_ magic, obviously (Mac had gone through an alchemy fixation in middle school so brutal he could give a two hour lecture on the topic), but slight-of-hand that was so good it made Mac look twice. He was aware that Jack could pickpocket better than a London orphan (Jack’s words, not his), but this was something else.

The trick in question was a bouquet of a dozen beautiful red roses that he’d produced from... _somewhere_. He wasn’t wearing long sleeves, there was no wire, and the roses were real, which meant they had thorns even though they were wrapped in plastic. And he was holding them out to Mac like it was no big deal, but there was a gleam in his dark eyes that suggested he was enjoying Mac’s open-mouthed reaction.

“How... what...” Mac trailed off, taking the offered flowers and smelling them out of reflex. “Thank you, but... were they in your _pants_?”

Jack cackled and winked, pulling him in for a kiss. “Oh, darlin’, a magician never reveals his secrets.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is for CicciTheDreamer! Thank you!!!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: "horses"**

If you asked Jack Dalton to count the number of times he’d ridden a horse, he wouldn’t be able to tell you. Not because he was slipping in his old age, but because he’d spent so much time on horses in his life it’d be impossible to put a number on it. However, he’d never been as nervous riding a horse as he was right now... because he was teaching _Mac_ to ride.

The kid only learned from experience (or so he said, Jack had seen all the books in his footlocker), so once they had a couple of missions with DXS under their belt Jack decided it was time for a little vacation. Surprisingly, Mac the workaholic didn’t argue, and that was how they wound up out in the Rockies, Colorado winds biting into Jack’s cheeks as they got ready to head out on the trail.

There was one problem: by the time they got there from the airport, the stable only had one horse left. He was was a huge bronco, able to hold both of them, but that wasn’t the part that made sweat break out on the back of Jack’s neck. He’d sort of been pining after Mac since the Sandbox, and since he was supposed to be teaching him how to ride... it meant Mac would have to sit in front of him on the saddle.

They tacked up the horse and got him out on the trail, and Jack forced himself to think of the ugliest wounds and corpses he’d ever come across, not wanting to get a poorly-timed erection from heat and proximity. Mac was seemingly oblivious to his plight, chatting away about different horse breeds and how they could be trained.

The horse balked, whinnying his displeasure, and Jack reached around to put his hands on top of Mac’s where they were clenched around the reins. “Easy, hoss. We wanna trot, not stop.”

“Sorry,” Mac muttered, dropping one hand to pet the horse’s mane. Then he cleared his throat and said something odd. “Being this close to you makes it hard to think.”

They both went still for a few seconds, before Jack squeezed Mac’s other hand where it was still around the reins. “I usually wind up thinkin’ with my downstairs brain. But also with my heart.”

Mac remained frozen like a statue, then leaned back against Jack’s chest tentatively - but he tipped his head back to kiss Jack, there was nothing tentative about it.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is for AnguishMacGyver!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: "migraine"**

When Mac came home from the grocery store and saw that all the curtains in the house were shut at two o’clock in the afternoon, he knew there was trouble. Not bomb trouble or terrorist trouble, but Jack trouble. His partner (now in more than one sense of the word) had a pinched nerve in his neck that almost never bothered him except when it did. And oh boy, when that thing decided to fuck with Jack, it _fucked_ with Jack, usually in the form of a migraine.

Mac grabbed his bags of supplies and did his best impression of a burglar in his own house, taking off his shoes and creeping around as he put things away before eventually heading for the bedroom. He carried a bottle of water in one hand, and cautiously slipped through the gap between the door and the frame. It was pitch black with the curtains drawn and no lights, but Mac knew his (_their_) room well enough that he didn’t run into anything.

In the smallest, softest voice he could manage, he said one word: “Jack?” He got a pained grunt in response, and once Mac’s eyes adjusted he could make out a vaguely Jack-shaped lump in the bed under the blankets, a heat-wrap around his head doubling as an eye mask. As much as he wanted to rush to the bed and cuddle Jack, he knew from past experience that wasn’t a good idea without permission - sometimes touch, no matter how welcome, could make the pain worse. “I brought you some water. Do you need anything?”

“C’mere,” Jack mumbled, which was the green light for Mac to crawl into bed with him. “Missed you.”

Mac smiled as he put the water bottle on the nightstand and slipped under the covers, jeans be damned. “I missed you too,” he whispered, spooning up behind Jack and wrapping his arms around his middle. Once he was sure that was okay, he pressed his lips to the back of Jack’s neck. “It must’ve gotten worse while I was gone.”

“Barely made it in here without passin’ out,” Jack told him, a calloused hand coming to rest on top of Mac’s on his stomach. “Little better now.” A pause. “Always better with you.”

That made Mac feel warm all over, and he shut his eyes. “I’m better with you too, Jack. You wanna try to take a nap?”

Jack’s soft snores were all the answer he needed.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is for [Rai_Knightshade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rai_Knightshade/pseuds/Rai_Knightshade)!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: "park"**

Days off for the employees of the Phoenix Foundation were few and far between. Unless you were sick, dying, or otherwise incapacitated you were at work five days a week, and more often than not on the weekends and holidays as well. So when then were was no national emergency or imminent terrorist threat, it was nice to kick back and relax - and everybody in their little family took turns picking the spot.

This one was Desi’s idea, and Jack had to admit she had good taste. They were in Griffith Park at the public picnic area near the zoo, surrounded by trees and people enjoying lunch and walking dogs and tossing Frisbees. It was surprisingly relaxing, just chilling on a blanket in the shade after eating the big lunch Bozer had prepared. He and Riley were playing touch football with James, Leanna, and Desi, and Matty was reading a book and sipping a wine spritzer under the tree opposite Jack’s.

Mac came back from his trip to the cooler with a couple of beers and settled back down next to Jack, snuggling into his side and pressing a kiss to his cheek. “This is nice.”

“I was just thinkin’ the same thing,” Jack told him, burying his face in Mac’s mess of blond hair. He smelled like shampoo and sunshine, and Jack could never get enough of it. “It’s /real/ nice because I’m here with you.”

Mac grinned at him, smacking his chest lightly. “You’re a big sap.”

“A huge one,” Jack confirmed, nodding as he took a pull off his beer. “But I’m yours.”

Mac’s grin softened around the edges into something fond, and he settled his head on Jack’s shoulder. “Yeah, you are.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is for [FrozenMemories](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrozenMemories/pseuds/FrozenMemories)!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: "glasses"**

Mac had his back to the front door when he heard it open, the familiar heavy tread of Jack’s boots hitting the floor a second later. When he spoke his voice was almost bubbly with happiness: “Hey, baby! How goes the decoratin’?”

“Almost done,” Mac reported, climbing down off the ladder and turning to face him. “Or I will be once you give me those strings of... lights? You okay?”

Jack stared at him slack-jawed, the bag containing the boxes of lights they needed for Desi’s surprise birthday party slipping from his fingers. “You’re... wearing... glasses?”

“Yeah?” Mac stretched out the single word, wondering if his boyfriend was having a stroke. “My contacts dried out and I don’t have an extra pair.” He blinked as he thought about something. “Have I never actually worn my glasses in front of you in the eight years we’ve known each other?”

Jack’s hands reached for him, tugging him close enough to plant a kiss on his lips and rake the hair back from his face. “No, you haven’t,” he rasped out, one arm wrapping around Mac’s waist to keep him close while his other hand touched the frames with his fingertips. “They look good. Very... nerdy professor, in a good way.”

Mac laughed and slid his arms around Jack’s neck. “Should we try some roleplay? I can pretend I finished my heinously expensive degree and you can be my equally financially doomed adult student.”

Jack grinned at him. “Sounds good to me... but maybe after Desi’s party? If we destroy another cake with sex Bozer’s gonna kill us both.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For CicciTheDreamer!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: "professors"**

“Mac, get your ass in here!” Jack called from the living room, the trilling of a Skype call accompanying his words. “Cami’s callin’, and she ain’t gonna wait for you!”

“Oh bullshit,” Mac said, but he hurried a little all the same, sitting down next to Jack on the couch and handing him his beer before he answered the call. Their daughter’s face filled the screen a moment later, her blonde hair and dark eyes a study in contrasts. “Hey, honey. What’s up?”

Camille Dalton may have gotten her eyes and hair from her dads, but her wide grin was all Desi (also known as the most willing _and_ grumpy surrogate mother ever). “Hi guys! I wanted to call between classes...” A dramatic pause. “And let you know I got my research grant!”

Jack whooped so loudly next to Mac’s ear that he lost his hearing for a second, but he was too thrilled for his daughter to care. “That’s amazing, Cami! Did the board give you any trouble because of your age?” Usually only grad students could get research funding, but Cami was breaking most of MIT’s rules at eighteen just like Mac had.

She hesitated. “Just one of the professors, but it’s no big deal - ”

“What’s his name?” Jack all but growled, grip tightening on the tablet in his hands. “It’s gotta be a dude, I swear I’ll - ”

“Daddy, no,” Cami interjected right when Mac was about to, her eyes going soft and sincere. “I can handle him, I promise. Besides, you told me the last time you visited that there were no good places to dump a body in Cambridge anyway.”

Mac turned his head very slowly to look at Jack, eyebrows raised with equal parts shock and disapproval.

Jack winced. “Well, pumpkin, it looks like we’re gonna have to hang up first... and my body might be the one getting dumped.”


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is for [Mannon_Blackbeak](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mannon_Blackbeak/)!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: "forever"**

Jack Dalton never took relationships lightly. He’d had his share of flings, of course - either for work or because he had a certain type of energy he needed to loose before he punched something - but when it was just a physical thing he made sure he and the other person were on the same page. He hadn’t had a serious relationship since Diane, no flings since Dawn... because there was only one person he wanted to be with, and he’d left him behind with a handshake and tears in his eyes eighteen fucking months ago.

He had no idea how to even begin fixing what he’d broken, but it seemed like going back to work was a good start. Apparently there’d been some funny business while he was gone, something about the Phoenix losing its funding and everybody having normal jobs for a while, but it was sorted out now. Bozer and Riley told him all that on the walk from the elevators to the war room, but it went right out of his head again the second he saw Mac.

Gorgeous as ever even with his hair cropped short, he was laughing at something Desi said, his stance open and relaxed. But Jack must’ve made some kind of involuntary noise, because Mac looked up, saw him, and something on his perpetually boyish face broke open like a faulty dam. “_Jack_.”

Throat tight and eyes burning, Jack found himself moving toward Mac without conscious thought. Instead of a handshake or a hug, though, he went for the thing that he’d wanted to do for years now, the thing that had always scared him shitless but that he wanted more than anything else: he hauled Mac in by the front of his shirt and kissed him.

To Jack’s shock and amazement, Mac kissed him back.

“Never do that again,” Mac mumbled against his lips, right before pulling him into a hug. He said nothing about the kiss, like it was... normal or inevitable, maybe both. “I never want you anywhere besides right next to me.”

“You got it, darlin’,” Jack whispered, hardly able to believe his luck. He held Mac that much tighter, one hand coming up to cup the back of his head. “Right next to you, forever.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one for [Mannon_Blackbeak](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mannon_Blackbeak/)! Enjoy!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: "distance"**

Mac wasn’t sure how it happened. One minute he was told that the Phoenix Foundation had lost its government funding, and the next he found himself in the terminal at LAX. Everything he thought he’d need for a while was in a backpack slung over his shoulder, and he gripped a one-way ticket to DFW in his hand. He hadn’t called ahead to see if this was okay... but if it wasn’t, Mac thought he could always get a hotel room in the city and make a vacation out of it.

Several hours later found him in a rental car driving out to the middle of nowhere, relying solely on his memory of making this same trip with Jack a few years prior for directions. His brain kept reminding him of how heavy and reassuring Jack’s hand had felt in his, fingers laced against Mac’s thigh. He only got turned around a couple of times and managed to make it to the Dalton ranch by suppertime, pulling into the dusty driveway and getting out from behind the wheel stiffly after too much time sitting down.

He’d no sooner done that than Jack’s mother, Alice, appeared on the wide front porch of her house, one hand raised to shield her eyes from the setting sun. “Angus? Is that you, boy?”

“Hi, Mama,” Mac said, the endearment tripping off his tongue, rusty with disuse. And then he was in her arms, face buried in her strong shoulder as the tears he’d worked so hard to hold back finally slipped down his cheeks. “Sorry I didn’t call.”

“Nonsense,” Alice murmured, giving him a squeeze before pushing him back far enough to thumb the wetness off his face. He saw Jack in the warm brown of her eyes and had to bite his tongue to hold back a sob. “I’m guessin’ since my idiot son isn’t here something’s wrong?” She paused. “Is he... he’s not...?”

“No, no,” Mac rushed to say, shivering at the thought. “He’s not dead, and as far as I know he’s... fine.”

“He ain’t fine if you’re not with him,” Alice replied, and put her hand between his shoulder blades, guiding him toward the light of the house. “Come on inside and tell me about it.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is for my lovely partner in crime, [blackrose1002](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackrose1002/pseuds/blackrose1002). I bet you thought I was gonna make this dirty, didn’t you? Hahaha… wrong again, babe.
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: "whip"**

Mac shivered on the dirt floor of the cell, every nerve in his back on fire while goosebumps broke out on the rest of his skin. He wore only the ripped-up jeans he’d had on for the past two weeks, so filthy they felt stiff around his legs, and more blood was pooling in the waistband as he tried and failed to stifle a sob. All he wanted was to get the hell out of this cell, but he already knew he couldn’t - he’d tried and failed and gotten beaten for it several times already.

A commotion in the corridor drew his attention but wearily, because if it was just the guards horsing around before they came to drag him away for another session with the whip, Mac would be too weak to fight them. He wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take before he lost his mind... or wound up dying of exsanguination.

The door to his cell burst open and Mac curled in on himself involuntarily, expecting to be grabbed or pelted with blows. Instead he heard a sharp gasp, like someone getting punched in the gut, and the next thing he knew a familiar set of knees hit the dirt next to his head.

“Mac?” Jack’s shaking voice asked, his hand touching Mac’s shoulder as lightly as possible. “Oh Jesus, _Mac_...”

“I’d like to say it’s not as bad as it looks... but it is,” Mac told him, his words trembling too, but with relief. He whimpered as he reached up to circle Jack’s wrist with his fingers. “Glad you showed up.”

“Sorry it wasn’t sooner,” Jack whispered, leaning down to push Mac’s gross hair behind his ear and kiss his cheek. “Medical’s inbound, we’ll get you outta here. Can you stand, or do you need me to carry you?”

“Mhmm...” Mac hummed, his already spotty vision dimming at the edges. Now that his body knew he was safe it was shutting down. “Carry me... please. Love you.”

The last thing he heard was Jack returning the sentiment.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's for [panchostokes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/badwolfrun/pseuds/panchostokes)!!! MK is an angel!!!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: “You want to know what I really think?”**

Mac was in the middle of packing his duffle bag for - he didn’t know where, exactly, as long as it was far away from his father, and he couldn’t see because of the tears blurring his vision. They made his whole face burn, the shame of not figuring out his dad was Oversight sooner combining with anger and sadness to form a lead ball in his gut trying to drag him down through the floor. Where could he go that James and the Phoenix wouldn’t be able to follow? Probably nowhere, but he could damn well - 

A creaking floorboard out in the living room stopped him in his tracks. This was _not _the time for Murdoc or another psychopath of the week to show up, and if James had had the balls to follow him here from work, Mac was going to punch him in the face, pacifistic nature be damned. He grabbed the straps of his duffle bag and headed out of his bedroom... and ran headfirst into Jack.

“Whoa, easy, hoss!” Big hands steadied Mac by the shoulders and that only made him want to cry more, for different reasons. “Where’s the fire?”

“Move, Jack,” Mac said quietly, his voice smaller and closer to defeat than he’d like. “You’re not going to change my mind - I’m not going back to the Phoenix.”

“Didn’t think you were,” Jack said, not moving an inch or letting go of Mac’s shoulders. “I was more wonderin’ what I should pack for clothes. Are we thinking more Aruba or Antarctica?”

Mac blinked, his fingers going slack around the duffle bag straps in surprise. “What? You... want to come with me?”

A grin now, the kind that made Jack’s eyes crinkle at the corners. “You didn’t think you were gettin’ rid of me that easily, did you?”

Mac swallowed hard. “You want to know what I really think?” he asked, blinking hard enough to dislodge those pesky tears and send them streaming down his face. “I think I’m in love with you - no, I _know_ that. What I _don’t_ know is if you’ll still want to follow me now that you know.”

A hard tug forward and a kiss on the mouth was his answer.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is for my partner in crime, [blackrose1002](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackrose1002/pseuds/blackrose1002)!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: "You're going to get someone hurt."**

“Mac, _stop_,” Desi begged - that was a rare thing, to hear that kind of desperation in her voice. “If you don’t you’re going to get someone hurt - probably _you_.”

“I have to agree with Desi, Angus,” Russ chimed in, worry lacing the words. “Are you sure this is going to work?”

“Not at all,” Mac replied... and moved his right foot to a green circle, effectively straddling Jack’s back like he was riding a horse.

“Jesus Christ, darlin’,” Jack groused, moving his left hand so it was no longer sliding off a yellow circle. “You know I love you, but you ain’t exactly light.”

“Then give up, old man!” Riley said from somewhere underneath him, her feet barely touching a blue and a red circle. “Also, when was the last time you showered? You smell like a homeless person.”

“Someone spin the Twister thing already!” Bozer exclaimed, his head near Mac’s ass, sweat dripping off his face. “I feel like I’m gonna vomit or pass out. Or both.”

“Shouldn’t have eaten so much pastrami,” Russ said solemnly, flicking the spinner and adding in a stage whisper to Desi, “Aren’t you glad we fell over on purpose?”

“So glad,” Desi agreed, snorting when Mac stuck his tongue out at her. “Save the tonguing for Jack, nerd.”

“Oh, he will,” Jack said, voice dark and sultry enough to make Mac shiver... 

... and lose his balance, collapsing to the side amidst a chorus of whoops and laughter.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one for [blackrose1002](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackrose1002/pseuds/blackrose1002)!
> 
> **Rating: T  
**  
Prompt: "You're a complete mess, but I don't care."

To say Mac was stressed on this mission would’ve been an understatement. Between the plane crash, the warehouse explosion, and getting sprayed with enough mud to drown several grown men, he wasn’t having a good day. Desi was just as miserable, scowling as she kicked and punched their way through the occasional stray bad guy as they made their way on foot to the airport. They took turns lugging an unconscious Russ in a fireman’s carry, grunting out curses and hoping he didn’t have something seriously wrong with him.

When Mac brought up the possibility that their pseudo-boss might have brain damage, Desi let out a snort and retorted, “The argument could be made that he’s already brain _dead_.” She paused, cocking her head to one side. “You hear that?”

Mac did hear it: the rotors of a helicopter. The breeze it created was swaying the tops of the trees nearby, and he put his hands on Desi (and Russ by extension), pushing her toward cover. “We need to hide, we don’t know - “

At that moment Russ lifted his head, squinted up toward the chopper - which had gotten lower, landing in the road now - and made a disbelieving sound. “Son of a bitch.”

The pilot hopped out, and Mac braced himself for a fight... until he recognized him. “_Jack_?”

“Who else would save your ass at the eleventh hour?” Jack wondered aloud, looking Mac up and down before he tugged him in for a kiss that couldn’t have been pleasant on his end. “You’re a complete mess, but I don’t care.”

“That’s good, because I’m pretty sure I just got yak shit in your mouth,” Mac told him, grinning so widely it hurt. “And I might have to postpone our dinner date.”

“I’m going to postpone your breathing if we don’t get out of here,” Desi threatened, but she was smiling at them. “Now help me drag our dead weight on to the helicopter.”


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is for [CicciTheDreamer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CicciTheDreamer/pseuds/CicciTheDreamer)! Thank you!!!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: "Please don't tell me you filmed that." "Of course I filmed it."**

Mac wasn’t sure who had the idea to come to a Wild West themed bar, but between the constant crackle of peanut shells underfoot and the screaming from the bachelor party a few tables over, he was about at his limit for noise and socialization for the next month. He was a little drunk and so was everyone else, but Desi and Riley looked to be having a good time learning to square dance, and Bozer and Matty were throwing axes in the next room - what that had to do with the Wild West, Mac had no idea.

Russ sat across from Mac in the booth and slung back the last of his whiskey. “Where the hell is Dalton?” He tried and failed to suppress a belch. “He said he would be right back with the drinks... and he’s not even at the bar!”

Mac frowned when he realized Russ was correct and Jack wasn’t at the bar, so where did he - 

Oh _God_.

Jack was on the other side of the bar amidst a crowd of howling drunken idiots, giving the mechanical bull the ride of its life. The sight of Jack’s hips gyrating in time with the machine’s movements made Mac’s mouth dry and sweat break out on just about every part of his body... and he _had_ to film this. If for no other reason than to prove it happened when Jack tried to deny it tomorrow.

Mac scrambled out of the booth and dragged Russ with him as a witness, yanking his phone out of the back pocket of his jeans. He set it to video and watched as the speed and violence of the bull increased, Jack practically cackling with delight, shiny with sweat and utterly gorgeous. The most impressive thing was that it looked like he was going to ride the bull for the full duration - at least until a particularly hard buck sent him sprawling into the padded floor.

He didn’t spot Mac until he stood up, and then his eyes went huge. “Please don’t tell me you filmed that.”

“Of course I filmed it!” Mac replied, and tossed the phone to Russ. “Keep away!”

Russ immediately ran for the hills, and Jack looked at him incredulously. “You little shit.”

Mac grinned and kissed him on the cheek. “_Your_ little shit.” 


	23. Chapter 23 - Riley/Desi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Riley/Desi chapter, ahoy!**
> 
> This one is for [Rai_Knightshade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rai_Knightshade/pseuds/Rai_Knightshade), who wanted some Riley/Desi!
> 
> **Rating: T  
**  
Prompt: "I can't believe we're dating."

It was their third date, and Riley was twenty minutes late.

Desi glanced down at her phone for the eighth time in five minutes and frowned. No text messages, no missed calls - not that she could’ve missed a call since the phone was _in her hand_, but still. She’d tried calling and texting Riley but hadn’t gotten an answer, and she also hadn’t gotten an alert from the Phoenix, which meant they didn’t have an emergency job... so why wasn’t Riley here? Had she decided that this - that _they_ were a mistake? Was she going to pull a Mac and just stop talking to Desi?

“Easy, Nguyen,” Desi muttered to herself, leaning back in the restaurant booth and taking a sip off her beer. “You don’t need to spiral, she’s probably just stuck in traffic.”

Another ten minutes went by, and Desi got a sympathetic smile from the waiter that made her want to stomp on his foot - just because he’d been stood up before didn’t mean it was happening to her. She fiddled with the strap of her emerald dress, heaving out a sigh, and just as she considered calling Mac to see if he’d heard from Riley, the woman herself stumbled through the door.

She looked incredible (she always did) in a simple black dress that accentuated her curves, hair loose around her shoulders and bracelets jangling on her wrists. “I’m so sorry I’m late,” she said as she slid into the booth across from Desi. “I couldn’t find my hair straightener, my phone died, traffic was _terrible_ \- ”

“Riles, it’s fine,” Desi interjected, reaching across the table to grasp her hand. “I’m just glad you’re here.” A little smile. “I was getting ready to come and find you.”

Riley returned the smile, but it wasn’t as wide as it could be. “I was also... a little nervous,” she admitted, squeezing Desi’s fingers. “This _is_ our third date, and that usually means... _stuff_ afterward. And I haven’t done anything with another girl before.”

Desi’s expression softened and she used her free hand to tuck a strand of Riley’s hair behind her ear. “Baby, I can’t believe we’re _dating_, let alone anything else,” she said, butterflies erupting in her stomach when Riley didn’t object to the pet name slip-up. “How about we have some dinner? No pressure for any stuff... unless you decide _you_ want stuff, then I’m totally down.”

The laugh she got in response was clear like a bell, and only made Desi fall harder than she already had.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one for [Rai_Knightshade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rai_Knightshade/pseuds/Rai_Knightshade) that has the BAREST HINTS of a crossover with _Stitches_… only because Kane’s Donuts is in Boston… and with a donut prompt I couldn’t resist…
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: "Are you seriously still angry with me?" "You ate the last donut!"**

Mac looked up from the experiment he was working on (it was less of an experiment and more of him slapping a bunch of random shit together, but no one had to know that) when Jack came into the house, slamming the door behind him. One glance at his grumpy expression told Mac everything he needed to know, and he rolled his eyes as he set down a screwdriver. “Are you seriously still angry with me?”

“You ate the last donut!” Jack exclaimed, flapping one arm a little bit. The other one was full of empty donut boxes, which he was presumably going to recycle. “And I’ve been all over this goddamn city looking for a place that does donuts like Kane’s, and I can’t find one!”

Mac smiled wryly. He could afford to, given what he’d found in the very back of the freezer after Jack left. “That could be because Kane’s Donuts is in Boston, and we’re in LA.” 

“Oh don’t be a smartass,” Jack said, making a face at him as he broke down the boxes. “Seriously, man, have you _ever_ had a donut as good as those key lime pie ones? Can you believe they only make them in August?”

“It’s August right now,” Mac pointed out, standing up and meandering over to the freezer. “We could hop on a plane and be at Logan Airport in six hours. Maybe five if we have Desi fly.”

“Are you kidding, I’d never live that one - “ Jack cut off when Mac approached him with something in his hand. “Is that what I think it is?”

“If you think it’s the last frozen key lime pie donut, then yes,” Mac replied, grinning when Jack all but snatched it away from him. “Really? It turned out I didn’t eat the last donut and I don’t even get a kiss?”

Jack leaned in to kiss his cheek, sticky with crumbs. “Call Wolfe. Tell him we’re comin’ for a visit.”


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yet another one for [Rai_Knightshade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rai_Knightshade/pseuds/Rai_Knightshade)!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: "I love it when you laugh."**

A hike in the mountains on a Saturday afternoon had no right to be this fun, but Mac was having the time of his life. It was nice to be able to breathe in air that wasn’t full of smog and enjoy being out in nature without bad guys with guns hot on their heels. He loved walking next to Jack up a trail, their arms brushing together every now and then, a little sticky with sweat and bug spray.

They reached a overlook and stopped for a water break, sitting down on a boulder that was smoothed out at the top by time and weather. They were pressed together from hip to shoulder, legs dangling over the edge of the cliff, but Mac couldn’t find it in himself to be afraid of the drop when he was distracted by the view.

“LA don’t look too bad from here,” Jack observed, grabbing for Mac’s hand as soon as they were both done drinking. Their fingers were different sizes and textures but somehow always manage to fit together perfectly. “Then again, it always looks pretty good with you around.”

Mac smiled a little. “Jack Dalton, are you trying to sweet-talk me?”

Jack glanced at him and wiggled his eyebrows. “That depends, is it working?” That made Mac laugh in the way that he only did with Jack, complete with dimples and a wrinkled forehead. “I love it when you laugh.”

“Really?” Mac asked, shifting enough to rest his head on Jack’s shoulder. “I don’t do it very often.”

“I know,” Jack said, his voice gone soft. He brought Mac’s hand up to kiss his knuckles. “That’s why it’s so special. Music to my ears, baby.”


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is for Mischiellis!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: "The only place I feel safe is in your arms."**

“How’s the leg?” Mac asked as he came through the door, arms loaded down with grocery bags. He took one look at Jack and got his answer from the doped-up smile on his face. “I see you took your painkillers before I got back with food.”

“You were gone for _so long_,” Jack lamented, making grabby-hands in Mac’s direction like a little kid. His leg was in a cast up to his knee, but because of his previous back surgery walking around on crutches was a no-go unless Jack needed the bathroom or wanted to go out on the deck. “I wanted to sleep but I thought you got kidnapped by Murdoc. Or by aliens.”

Mac suppressed a grin as he dumped the bags on the kitchen counter, loping over to sit next to Jack on the couch and sliding his arms around him, leaning in to kiss his cheek. “No kidnapping. I’m right here.”

“Good.” Jack’s voice turned serious, his hand squeezing Mac’s hip. “The only place I feel safe is in your arms, you know.”

Mac blinked in surprise. He always felt safe with Jack around, but he wasn’t aware that the feeling was mutual. “I... good. That’s good, Jack.” It wasn’t, not if it meant Jack couldn’t do something as basic as sleep without Mac around... but this wasn’t the time to talk about that.

Jack rested his head against Mac’s shoulder and sighed. “Finally, I can take a nap.” He snuggled closer, breathing already evening out. “Love you.”

Mac smiled this time, pressing it into Jack’s hair in a kiss. “Love you too, big guy.”


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for manon-blackbeakcrochan, who wanted some MacDalton fluff!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: Jack calling Mac beautiful**

Mac wasn’t sure how his garage had turned into the set of an episode of _Hoarders_, but somehow it had flown under his radar until he had to make room for Jack’s GTO. He hadn’t been able to park his own Jeep in the space for years, but he didn’t care about that since it was in rough shape anyway; the GTO, however, was pristine, and Mac was going to make sure it stayed that way until Jack came back.

The gang had come over to help him empty everything out and eat a bunch of pizza, but now they were gone and it was up to Mac to sweep up the years of dirt caked to the concrete floor. He had on an old MIT shirt and a pair of ragged shorts and his hair was stuck to his forehead with grime and sweat, but he didn’t care. There was something that was always satisfying about manual labor, and once he got this cleaned up he could pull the GTO inside and figure out what would fit on the shelves around it.

Footsteps sounded behind him and Mac paused the movements of his broom to wipe his brow. “Bozer, I swear, if you left your phone here again I’m gonna tie it to your leg.”

“Would Bozer tell you that you’re the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen?” Jack’s voice asked, all deep timbre and Texas charm. “Because if he’s been doin’ that, we need to have a talk.”

Mac dropped the broom and turned around, throwing himself into Jack’s arms and laughing when he spun them before setting Mac back on the floor. “You’re back,” he breathed out, putting his hands on Jack’s stubbled cheeks and pulling him down for a kiss. “Does this mean...?”

“Yep,” Jack replied, smiling at him. “Kovacs is gone and you’re my partner, partner.”

Mac was helpless to do anything else besides laugh again and kiss that smile.


	28. Chapter 28 - Riley/Desi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for icountcards, who wanted some Riley/Desi!
> 
> **Rating: T  
**  
Prompt: "You realize this sounds totally crazy, right?"

Riley grabbed Desi’s arm as they walked out of the war room after receiving their assignments, tugging her under the stairs for some privacy. “You realize this sounds totally crazy, right?”

“Which part?” Desi asked, flashing her a smile. She didn’t pull away from Riley’s touch, and she was warm even through the material of her canvas jacket. “That I’m boarding a submarine that’s been incommunicado for two days, or that I’m doing it by myself?”

“Both parts, but mostly the second one,” Riley replied, eyebrows drawing down. “I’m not letting you go by yourself.”

Desi frowned. “Why? Don’t think I can handle it?”

“No, that’s not - ” Riley made a frustrated sound, glancing around quickly before she leaned in to give Desi a kiss on the mouth. They weren’t out at work yet, this thing between them too new, and the last thing she needed was Bozer (AKA the world’s biggest gossip machine) catching them unaware. “You’re the best person for the job, but you have no idea what you’re walking into. You need back up.”

Desi’s expression softened, and she pushed a lock of Riley’s hair behind her ear. “Yeah, well, try telling that to Matty.”

It was Riley’s turn to smile, but hers was all teeth. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is for [Rai_Knightshade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rai_Knightshade/pseuds/Rai_Knightshade)!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: "When I said 'paint me like one of your French girls,' one: I was joking, and two: this iSNT WHAT I MEANT!"**

“Sorry, Jack,” Mac said, not sounding sorry in the slightest. “But if we’re going to blend in here, one of us has to paint and the other one needs to model.”

Jack groaned in a way that was less appropriate for an art studio and more appropriate for the bedroom. “But why do I have to be _naked_?”

Mac grinned at him from behind his canvas. “Because I like you naked.”

He laughed when Jack made a rude gesture.


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is for CicciTheDreamer!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: Jack woke up with the feeling of an airbag in his face and blood running down his cheek from his temple.**

“Fuck,” he mumbled, spitting out the blood in his mouth from biting the inside of his cheek. “Mac? Where you at, bud?”

He flailed a hand to the passenger’s seat, but instead of making contact with part of his partner, he found a piece of paper. Grabbing it, Jack opened his door and all but fell out of the car, waiting until his vision stabilized before he tried to read what it said.

_Dear Pit Bull,_

_The boy wonder is coming to stay with me for a while. You can have him back when I get bored._

_-M_


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is for Kaliene!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: "Jack... C'mon, open your eyes, I really need you to open your eyes, right now."**

Jack groaned as he came back to consciousness, nausea making his stomach roll. He turned his head to the side and vomited up bile and the remnants of whatever drug had been slipped into the food their captors gave them. He heard Mac sigh next to his ear, his hands gentle where they touched Jack’s forehead and shoulder.

“You with me, big guy?” he asked, waiting until Jack nodded a little before he spoke again. “Good, because I think I finally figured out a way out of here... but you’re gonna have to stab me.”

Jack suddenly, fervently wished he was still unconscious.


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is for flowing_river24!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: "It hurts, Jack."**

“I know, darlin’,” Jack murmured, running his fingers slowly through Mac’s soft hair. His head was in Jack’s lap, the rest of his body sprawled on the couch and covered by a pile of blankets. “But I just gave you a pain pill, so we have to wait for it to work.”

Mac looked up at him with luminous blue eyes, his cheeks swollen and bruised from the removal of his wisdom teeth just a few hours ago. He was still a little drugged, so it was no surprise when he said, “Can you kiss it better?”

“I don’t know,” Jack told him, already leaning down, “but I can damn well try.”


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's for Kaliene!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: "Is this how little you think of me?"**

Jack shook his head, but he didn’t holster his gun. It hung down alongside his right leg like an omen. “Mac, it’s not like that - ”

“Oh yeah, then what’s it like?” Mac snapped, his hands clenching into fists. He wanted to hit... _something_, not Jack, not after two years without him, but damn close. “Please explain it to me.”

“What was I supposed to think, huh?” Jack wondered aloud, looking at him with pleading eyes. “I came back and Matty told me you and Riles went rogue, okay? Of course I volunteered to come after you!”

“And you believed them!” Mac shouted, any illusion of control gone. “Maybe you should’ve just stayed away.”


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is for CicciTheDreamer!
> 
> **Rating: E**
> 
> **Prompt: "When I get home I expect you to be undressed and waiting on all fours for me.”**

**From Jack, sent today @ 8:43pm:** _“When I get home I expect you to be undressed and waiting on all fours for me.” _

Mac read the text twice, then threw his phone on the nightstand and started stripping out of his clothes. He was practically giddy with anticipation, because Jack had been attending meetings and psych evals at the Phoenix since he got back from hunting Kovacs, so he was barely ever home even though their relationship status was... upped significantly after he returned. And what had started as a flirty way to distract Jack from some pinhead talking about safety in the field became a series of dirty messages that led to the one Jack sent about a half-hour ago, right after Mac hopped into the shower.

He’d be home any minute, now.

Clambering on to the mattress, Mac got on all fours to wait. He’d had some fun by himself in the shower, so he was stretched and ready to go. Goosebumps broke out on his skin. They’d never done this kind of teasing thing before, and he had to admit it was… appealing, in a certain way. He heard the front door unlock, and a moment later Jack’s footsteps (Mac knew them anywhere) made their way to the bedroom.

A sharp intake of breath. Then, with reverence that never failed to make Mac squirm: “Oh, now that’s just about all I can take.”

“I want to remind you that _you_ were the one who asked for this,” Mac said, glancing over his shoulder and grinning when he saw Jack practically tripping over himself to get his boots and jacket off. “Actually, there wasn’t a question mark, so I can’t qualify it as asking.”

“Really? _Now_ is when you decide to critique my grammar?” Jack asked, his belt buckle clanking against the floor as he dropped his pants and all but ripped off his shirt, climbing on the bed and taking the lube when Mac handed it to him. “You don’t want me to bring up your blatant abuse of emojis, do you?”

“I’m amazed that you know what emojis _are_,” Mac deadpanned, but before he could make a crack about Jack’s age he felt the blunt head of his cock press against his hole. He shuddered all over, fingers clenching in the bedsheets. “Jack, come on.”

“Don’t rush me,” Jack murmured, one hand skating up and down Mac’s spine. “I’m enjoying the view.” He leaned in closer and started pushing forward, lips kissing at Mac’s shoulders as he worked himself inside inch by inch. When their hips were flush together he nuzzled the skin behind Mac’s ear and sighed. “You always feel so good, darlin’. How do you do that, huh?”

“Natural talent,” Mac gasped out, full and on edge in the best way. “Move. Please.”

Jack obliged him, never one to tease without follow-through, which was one of the many things that Mac loved about him. He set up a quick, dirty rhythm that had them both breathless and sweaty in minutes, one arm wrapping around Mac’s chest to keep him upright. His other hand found Mac’s cock and gave him a few firm strokes, and that was all it took to send him spiraling up and over the edge. His vision whited out and he moaned, sighing a moment later when he felt Jack come deep inside him.

Then they wound up slumped together on the bed, completely spent and blissfully happy.


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for a lovely anon! I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> **Rating: E  
Prompt: “You don’t have to be gentle with me, I don’t break easily.”**

After the mess in Cairo, it was like a switch got flipped.

Once they were safe and alone in a hotel room in Berlin - the closest friendly port in a storm, so to speak - all it took was them locking eyes and Mac found himself pushed against the nearest wall. The last time Jack had put his hands on him like this was in the Sandbox... but Mac realized almost instantly that this wasn’t the same. The motion was careful, calculated, and one of Jack’s hands slipped between the back of Mac’s head and the wall so he wouldn’t wind up with a concussion. They were both plenty banged up as it was, a nasty bruise giving Jack’s cheekbone a permanent blush.

Mac didn’t protest, didn’t push him away, just licked his split lip and inquired, “Jack...?” A little hesitant, but mostly curious.

“Tell me now if I’ve got this wrong,” Jack murmured, and then he pressed their mouths together in a kiss.

Mac’s hands flew up to grip the front of Jack’s shirt and now he did push Jack away, but only to move him closer to the bed. They landed on it together, lips never parting, and soon they were both panting and hard in their jeans. It should’ve felt too sudden, but... instead it was just_ right_. Like this was how that fight in the Sandbox should’ve ended.

Between one blink and the next Mac found himself naked, and in the following instant so was Jack. The way he looked at Mac was almost reverent, those big rough hands capable of so much damage as light as a feather wherever they touched Mac’s skin. And he appreciated the concern, he did, but...

“You don’t have to be gentle with me, I don’t break easily,” Mac gasped out as Jack’s fingers wrapped around his cock.

Jack’s lips pressed kisses across his jaw to his ear. “What if I wanna be gentle, huh?” His voice cracked in a way that Mac had never heard before. “What if I just wanna be gentle for once?”

Mac made a soft sound and cupped Jack’s cheek with one hand, kissing him again as he gripped his cock in return, both of them rocketing to the edge too quickly and too drunk on lust and adrenaline to care. They crashed over it at around the same time, spilling over each other’s hands and whispering nonsensical praise.

Maybe being gentle had its perks.


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is for Spiritsontheroof!
> 
> **Rating: E  
Prompt: “Look, I’m not into choking but I wouldn’t mind if you grabbed me by the neck every once in a while.”**

Jack froze, staring at Mac like a deer caught in headlights. A slightly drunk deer, but the sentiment was the same. “I said that out loud, didn’t I?”

“Yep,” Mac replied after a slight delay, while he told his dick to stand down and drained the last of his beer. “But maybe you should repeat it, because I’m not sure I heard you right.” That was a lie, he knew he heard Jack perfectly... but he kind of wanted to hear it again.

Jack cleared his throat, his cheeks an adorable shade of pink. “I said... ‘look, I’m not into choking but I wouldn’t mind if you grabbed me by the neck every once in a while’.” He set down his beer bottle. “It’s your hands, dude. They drive me crazy.”

Mac shifted and swung a leg over both of Jack’s, settling in his lap and deliberately grinding against the hardness he found there. “Oh yeah?” he whispered, slowly lifting both hands to rest them on either side of Jack’s neck. “Why’s that?”

Instead of answering his question, Jack shuddered and kissed him hard, grabbing him by the waist to pull him closer. They made out for a while, kissing sloppily until Mac ran one hand down Jack’s chest and opened his jeans, wrapping his fingers around his cock and stroking. The other hand stayed on his throat, not squeezing, just... resting there. Proprietary, almost.

And evidently that did it for Jack, because it only took him a few moments to come, moaning against Mac’s jaw. Meanwhile, Mac took it upon himself to hump Jack’s thigh, mouth dropping open as he found his own release. He felt Jack swallow under his palm... and wondered if maybe they could try choking next time.


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for another lovely anon!
> 
> **Rating: E  
Prompt: “I bet you think you’re real cute letting them put their hands all over you. We’ll see how cute you look later when I get you home.” **

Mac wasn’t sure how many people he’d danced with at this general’s retirement party, but he figured it was probably upward of twenty from the way his feet hurt. He was sweaty inside his dress uniform so he took the jacket off and folded it neatly on the back of a chair, and that was when a familiar pair of arms wrapped around him from behind.

“Hey,” Jack murmured, pressing a discreet kiss behind his ear. “You looked amazing out there.”

“It’s nice to have some fun for a change,” Mac replied, turning in Jack’s embrace and smiling. “Where have you been?”

“Scouting locations for a hookup. Didn’t find anything good, though.” Jack’s tone shifted, turning slightly rougher in that way that never failed to make Mac’s dick twitch. “I bet you think you’re real cute letting them put their hands all over you. We’ll see how cute you look later when I get you home.”

Mac’s brain fogged with lust for a moment. “The coat closet,” he said belatedly. “There’s a chair we could push under the doorknob.”

“Jesus, what are we waitin’ for?” Jack wondered.

They slipped out of the crowd and into the dimly-lit space, shoving the chair into the closed door before they started kissing like their lives depended on it. Obviously they couldn’t get fully undressed so hands would have to do, but Mac made sure their pants and shirts were out of the way before he wrapped his fingers around Jack’s cock. He returned the favor a moment later, gun callouses tugging perfectly at Mac’s sensitive skin, and it didn’t take long for either of them to come like that, pressed together and thrilling at the possibility of getting caught. 

“I’m still gonna have fun with you later,” Jack panted into his ear.

Mac nipped at his jaw. “It’s a date.”


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is for CicciTheDreamer!
> 
> **Rating: E  
Prompt: “I love you, but I gotta admit, I think that’s the weirdest kink I’ve ever heard of.” **

As soon as Mac said that Jack pouted. “Why is it weird? Just because I like your hair more when it’s long?”

“It’s weird because I didn’t know that could be a kink!” Mac exclaimed, amused but not mockingly so, smiling widely enough to show his dimples. They were tangled together, naked in his bed, and Jack had both hands buried in his hair, which had grown out to his shoulders. “But if Google says it then it must be true, right?”

Jack squinted at the phone in Mac’s hand. “Trichophilia, huh?” He dragged one hand down Mac’s body until he could wrap his fingers around his cock. “You’re right, that _does_ sound weird.”

Mac dropped his phone and moaned, clutching hard at Jack’s shoulders. “So weird,” he agreed, biting his lower lip. “But not so weird that I don’t want to have sex with you.”

Jack smiled, rubbing his thumb over the head and nipping at Mac’s jaw, tugging his hair with the other hand. “Glad to hear it.” He pumped him almost lazily, his own erection digging into Mac’s thigh, but Jack could wait. He’d wait all damn day if it meant getting to see Mac fall apart once. “Come on, darlin’. Come for me.”

Mac’s back arched and his eyes went wide, an animal sound ripping from his throat as Jack stroked him hard and fast, making him spurt all over his stomach and Jack’s fingers. Almost as soon as he was done he grabbed for Jack’s cock and started jerking him off... and Jack forgot all about Mac’s hair.


	39. Chapter 39 Riley/Desi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is for an anon on Tumblr who wanted some DesRiley! (Fair warning... I got carried away with this one...)
> 
> **Rating: E  
**  
Prompt: “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.” “Why don’t you show me then?”

Riley stood across from Desi in the sparring ring, shifting from foot to foot to keep herself loose. She tried not to stare at the vibrant tattoos visible on Desi’s chest thanks to the low cut of her sports bra, but it was an impossible task, and she missed it when Desi spoke. “Sorry, what?”

“I _said_, are you sure you want to spar with me?” Desi repeated, a wicked gleam in her eyes. They were such a dark shade of brown they were almost black, even deeper than Riley’s. “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.”

Riley felt herself flush from her face down. Just because something _sounded_ suggestive didn’t mean it _was_, she reminded herself, but before she could think better of it she replied, “Why don’t you show me then?”

That was all the encouragement Desi required, and after several swift moves she had Riley pinned to the mat. If she was being honest, Riley was surprised she held out as long as she did; she was no slouch when it came from hand-to-hand, but Desi’s combat training was second nature, much like Jack’s. Her dad was the last person Riley wanted to think about in that moment, though, her attention captured by the bow of Desi’s triumphant smile and the way she felt pressed against Riley’s body, all hard muscle save for the softness of her breasts.

Kissing her seemed like the natural thing to do in Riley’s mind.

Evidently Desi agreed, because she made a pleased sound in the back of her throat as soon as their lips touched, one hand rising to touch Riley’s sweaty cheek. She swept her tongue over Riley’s lower lip without preamble and when their tongues met it was Riley’s turn to groan, one hand yanking out Desi’s braid so she could fist her hair. Her other hand slid up under the back of Desi’s sports bra, and a moment later Desi broke the kiss to pull it up and over her head.

That put her breasts at Riley’s eye level and she took full advantage, closing her lips around one of Desi’s nipples and sucking. Desi gasped out her name, both her hands threading into Riley’s hair, dislodging her ponytail as Riley cupped Desi’s other breast with her hand, thumbing and pinching that nipple to attention. Soon Desi was writhing on top of her and it was easy to flip her on to her back and settle between her legs to grab the waistband of her athletic shorts.

Riley’s mouth watered when she got her first look at Desi’s pussy. Her tattoos really were everywhere, save for where her pubic hair grew, and Riley made sure to kiss every single one while she teased at Desi’s clit with her fingertips. When Desi made a frustrated noise and tugged at her hair, Riley took pity on her and lowered her mouth to where she wanted it most, parting her labia and licking a hot stripe over her cunt.

“Oh, _Riley_,” Desi moaned, toes curling against the mat. “Just like that, baby, _yes_.”

She tasted incredible, Riley thought as she circled her tongue around her clit before dipping it inside her body, making her even slicker so she could push her index finger into her pussy, crooking it to search for her G-spot. When she found it Desi keened, back arching, and Riley continued to palpate it as she suckled on her clit. It didn’t take long for Desi to shout her pleasure, coming hard and hot around Riley’s finger, gushing out slick that she lapped up instantly.

Once Desi caught her breath she clawed at Riley’s shoulders, trying to get her to remove her clothes. Riley did so as quickly as possible and went along with it when Desi dragged her up to sit on her face, thighs on either side of her head. She licked over Riley immediately and she moaned, throwing her head back as heat built low in her belly. Desi’s tongue was magical, teasing at her clit and pussy until Riley began to shake she was so close to the edge. Then Desi closed her lips around her clit and sucked hard, leaving Riley helpless to do anything but come all over her.

She slumped off to the side once she was done, both of them trying to catch their breath—and then Desi hauled her in close for another kiss. This one was decidedly filthier since they could taste themselves on each other’s tongues and Riley loved it… but she loved the look on Desi’s face when she pulled back even more.

“Told you,” she said warmly, pushing some of Riley’s hair behind her ear. “You didn’t know what you were getting into.”

“You’re right, I didn’t,” Riley replied, grinning. “Maybe you could show me again at my place.”


	40. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is for deltajackdalton! (I... also got carried away with this one... don’t try this at home, kids...) 
> 
> **Rating: E  
Prompt: “I don’t give two shits that we’re in public and people are watching.”**

“If I’d known all you wanted to do was make out, I would’ve suggested we skip the drive-in and rewatch _Die Hard _at my place instead,” Mac said wryly, leaning into Jack’s warmth where they sat sprawled in the back of Mac’s pickup truck, _Casablanca_ playing out on the side of a roller rink. The lips pressed against his neck smiled before they sucked lightly at his skin, making him shiver. “Seriously, Jack, there’s people around.”

“So?” Jack countered, using the grip he had on Mac’s waist to shift him so he sat fully in his lap. The new position allowed Mac to feel all of Jack’s cock between his ass cheeks, fully hard between the layers of their clothes. “It’s not like anybody can see, it’s too dark.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Mac muttered, catching more than one pair of eyes looking in their direction from inside neighboring cars. Warmth pooled low in his belly all the same, and when Jack’s hands snaked under the blanket covering both of them to open his pants, Mac didn’t fight it. “What did you have in mind, exactly?”

“Wanna fuck you right here,” Jack said against his ear, his voice going low and gravelly. “Brought lube and everything.”

“Oh god,” Mac choked out, his own cock suddenly aching. “What if we get caught?”

“I don’t give two shits that we’re in public and people are watching,” Jack informed him, rough fingers wrapping around Mac’s cock and jerking him slowly. His other hand was busy shoving Mac’s jeans and underwear down, and the next thing Mac knew Jack’s hand was in between his shoulder blades, pushing him forward enough for him to slick a finger and rub it over his hole. “And I don’t think you do either, baby, or you would’ve said something by now. Besides, we’re far enough from home that nobody knows who we are.”

Mac shuddered and moaned, trying to keep it quiet but failing miserably. He bit the inside of his cheek when Jack’s finger pushed inside him, working him open quickly and giving him a second one almost immediately. They did this enough that he was used to the stretch, and soon he was panting and writhing on three of Jack’s digits, keenly aware of several people watching them.

Jack pulled his fingers out with a squelch and the next thing Mac was aware of was the blunt head of his cock against his entrance - he didn’t even know when Jack had gotten his pants open, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was inch after inch of his thick length getting pushed relentlessly into Mac’s body thanks to gravity. His mouth dropped open and he whimpered with it, thighs trembling and causing the blanket to slip off.

“That’s it, baby,” Jack murmured, teeth scraping the back of his neck. He started rocking up into Mac slowly, both hands gripping his hips. “Show everybody here how much you love my cock.”

Mac made a guttural sound and started moving his hips, circling and clenching around Jack as he searched for his prostate. He was flushed bright red from arousal and embarrassment, peripherally aware that some of the car windows around them were fogging up as other couples followed their lead. Then Jack’s cock hit his prostate and nothing mattered anymore, nothing except getting off.

He went willingly when Jack sat up, pushing him to his hands and knees on top of the blanket, their activities fully on display for anyone looking. Fingers crept up into his hair, tugging sharply as Jack began pounding into his body, hips snapping forward so intensely that it punched the breath from Mac’s lungs. He howled when Jack found his sweet spot again and stayed there, grinding forward. Suddenly he was face first in the blanket and Jack’s hand was on his throat, choking him hard, exactly how he liked, until his eyes rolled back in his head and he almost -

Mac’s eyes snapped open and he realized that he was in his room, in his bed, with Jack watching him. “Good dream?” he asked in a rumble, kissing at Mac’s jaw and putting a hand over the raging hard-on in his underwear.

“Yeah,” Mac replied hoarsely. “And I’ve got a great idea for a date.”


	41. Chapter 41

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **This one is for Rai_Knightshade, based on the two weird (but real) words below! Rated T!**
> 
> hiraeth - a homesickness for a home to which you cannot return, a home which maybe never was; the nostalgia, the yearning, the grief for the lost places of your past 
> 
> apricity - the warmth of the sun in the winter

It had been just over two years since Jack Dalton last saw the love of his life, and he thought about that moment every single day.

Vivid as if it had happened yesterday, every sense he owned was tied to that memory. The shine of the tears in Mac’s beautiful blue eyes, the agony he was trying so hard to conceal from the others, but it was visible to Jack as it always was. They’d said a more private goodbye the night before, long and slow with nothing but skin, and Jack had restrained himself to a handshake in the war room because if he’d hugged Mac he would’ve never left.

Now while he bled out in a frozen Russian field, all Jack wanted to think about was anything but that last second of Mac’s gaze, wounded and scared for a feature without Jack in it. It haunted him anyway, bringing up feelings of nostalgia and disgust in equal measure - with himself, with Kovacs, with everything and everyone. Speaking of Kovacs, the man lay dead beside him, a red lake formed around his sightless corpse.

“Well,” Jack wheezed, his last breaths forming a fog in front of his face, “at least I ain’t dying alone. And I took you with me, you fucker.”

As far as final words went, he thought that was pretty good.

The fog grew thicker and he slipped away.

~***~

Later - how much later, Jack didn’t know - the first thing he became aware of was heat all along his right side, blazing and burning and _alive_. At first he thought it was the slick of his own blood, but no, that wasn’t right because the rest of him was warm too.

When his eyes opened they felt sticky and raw, but they were greeted by sunshine.

“Hey,” Mac rasped out, face blotchy from crying. He looked somehow younger and older than when Jack saw him last but still just as gorgeous, his hair a golden halo fit for an angel. He let his forehead drop against Jack’s temple and closed his eyes, making a soft sound. “We were supposed to die together, remember?”

“I remember,” Jack said, throat aching amid the beeping of machines and the itch of a hospital gown against his skin. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.” Mac’s lips moved against his jaw, the words felt more than heard. “Just never make me watch you leave again.”


	42. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anonymous!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: whelve - to bury something deep, to hide**

The scent of blood wouldn’t leave Mac’s nose.

It was everywhere, and just like the dirt under what was left of his fingernails it never seemed to lessen no matter how much he tried to get rid of it. He’d scrubbed himself raw in the shower, skin pink and irritated, his hair dry like straw from the scalding water, but it was still there. He could taste the earthworm that had fallen in his mouth, squishy and wriggling. Remembered the panic in his own breathing and the pounding of his heart, chanting _alive alive alive_ even as the dirt tried to swallow him.

He didn’t even realize he’d curled into a naked ball in the corner of the bathroom until the door opened, releasing a billow of steam as Jack stepped inside. “Ah, hell, kid,” he murmured, sounding as tortured as Mac felt. “C’mon, let’s get you outta here.”

Jack had said something similar hours before, when the team had finally found Mac. He’d clawed his way almost to the surface, blind and screaming like a newborn, retching up that damn worm and dirt, so much fucking _dirt_. As Jack and Desi had pulled him free from his own grave he’d actually fought against them, fearful they were planning on putting him in the hole again. If Russ hadn’t caught him his thrashing probably would’ve led to a concussion - instead he was simply traumatized and recovering from being drugged.

Mac startled a little as Jack wrapped him in a big fluffy towel and pulled him to his feet, but he was aware enough to latch on to Jack’s shirt with his fingers like his life depended on it. They made their way into Mac’s bedroom - _their_ bedroom now that Jack had moved in - and Jack helped him put on a soft pair of sweatpants and a Metallica t-shirt, whispering reassurances all the while.

“You’re here with me, Angus,” he said once they were snuggled under the covers, all four of Mac’s limbs wrapped around Jack like an octopus. “I’ve got you, and I ain’t letting you go.”

“Please don’t,” Mac mumbles, pushing his face into Jack’s throat and breathing in, hoping gunpowder and leather will replace that coppery tang as he fades into sleep. “I can’t go back there again.”


	43. Chapter 43

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Bloodiedmac on Tumblr!
> 
> **Prompt: cafune - the act of running your fingers through the hair of someone you love  
Rating: G**

Jack Dalton could recall only a handful of times when he’d felt truly at peace, and most of them had happened after he met Angus MacGyver.

This particular Sunday afternoon was no exception. They were sprawled together on Mac’s couch, leather creaky and broken-in under their combined weight. The TV was on, the Cowboys and Chiefs going at it with the volume turned down so Mac could focus on whatever he was reading on his tablet. He was curled into Jack’s side, elbow digging into Jack’s thigh as he held the screen at eye level, and Jack had an arm wrapped around him with his fingers curled over Mac’s hip.

Without conscious thought, Jack’s hand slid up Mac’s side, pausing briefly at his shoulder before it continued up to card through his soft blond hair. It was getting long again, almost brushing the base of his neck, and he’d sometimes taken to tying it back in a short ponytail that was way more adorable than it had any right to be. Today it hung loose, which left it free for Jack to play with as he watched the Cowboys get thrashed.

“Jack?” Mac’s voice was soft and unobtrusive, and he set the tablet aside as he tilted his head into Jack’s palm. “What are you thinking about?”

Jack smiled a little, tucking some stray hair behind Mac’s ear. “Just that I love you,” he murmurs. “And that I’m happy.”

“I love you too,” Mac tells him, leaning in to kiss the corner of his mouth. “And you know I’m happy... but I bet you’d be happier if the Cowboys didn’t suck so bad.”

Jack snorted before he turned his head to press their lips together for real. “Well darlin’, that’s a given.”


	44. Chapter 44

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For mischiellis on Tumblr!
> 
> **Prompt: cafune - the act of running your fingers through the hair of someone you love (reversed)  
Rating: G**

Angus MacGyver wasn’t a morning person. Unless he had to be up early for a mission or he was feeling particularly anxious and needed to work on a project, he didn’t get out of bed before ten o’clock. Ever since Jack moved in he’d had to get used to his side of the bed shifting at around seven in the morning, when Jack would wake and head out to use the bathroom and read the paper.

Today, for some unknown reason, Mac had woken up first. He smiled when he realized Jack was still snoring next to his ear, clinging to him with arms and legs like the world’s deadliest octopus. One of Mac’s arms was pinned underneath him, curled up around his back. They were both naked, of course, since they didn’t get dressed after last night’s... activities.

Mac curved the arm he had against Jack’s back up enough to touch his head, his smile widening as he felt the stubbly hair there. It was surprisingly soft, brown mostly taken over by gray and - in certain places that Mac didn’t point out - white. He loved how it felt against his fingers, and when Jack had it grown out enough for his faux hawk Mac spent a lot of time playing with it.

“Hey,” Mac murmured, nuzzling at Jack’s forehead. “I’m up before you. This is weird.”

Jack grunted and stirred against him, squeezing him closer. “M’not awake. Come back later.”

Mac laughed, a real sound of amusement that hurt his throat and chest. “Can’t do that, big guy. You’ve got me in your trap.”

“Good,” Jack muttered, leaning into his touch. “Not letting you go, either.”


	45. Chapter 45 - Riley/Desi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some DesRiley for an anon on Tumblr!
> 
> **Rating: G  
Prompt: “Why are you wearing my sweater?” “Because it smells like you.”**

Snuggling up in the corner of the couch, Riley held a mug of mint tea between her hands - according to Mac, it would help with her cough - and tried not to mope. She wasn’t the most miserable sick person in the world (that title easily went to Jack) but she hated feeling useless, and since every time she’d tried to look at her computer screen she wound up with a migraine working from home was a no-go. As it was her whole face hurt from sinus pressure and she was chilly even though it was a perfectly acceptable temperature in the apartment she shared with Desi.

Speaking of Desi, her girlfriend came barreling through the front door, tattooed arms covered with shopping bags. “Okay, I got every kind of NyQuil they make,” she declared, kicking the door shut behind her and dumping the supplies on the coffee table. “Along with lozenges, a new thermometer - “ She cut off when she saw Riley. “Why are you wearing my sweater?”

“Because it smells like you.” Riley sunk deeper into the folds of Desi’s oversized ARMY sweatshirt, tugging the hood up over her head. “And I’m not giving it back.”

Desi wrinkled her nose. “With all your germs, I don’t think I want it,” she commented, smiling when Riley made a wounded sound. “Oh stop it, you big baby. We’ll be back to making out on that couch soon enough.” She poured out a cup of NyQuil. “Now take this and feel better so I can make you pho.”

Riley eyed the medicine for a moment before accepting it. “Chicken pho? With the jalapenos?”

“Only the best for my lady,” Desi replied, leaning down to kiss her forehead before she went into the kitchen. “And you look cute in my sweater.”


	46. Chapter 46

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For another anon on Tumblr!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: “You’re lying to me again. Why can’t you just tell me the truth for once?”**

Jack didn’t know how long he’d been sitting in this shitty dive bar in downtown Saigon, but it was long enough that there were several empty glasses in front of him and his ass had gone numb. He leaned an arm on the scratched-up bar and rested his head against it, telling the concerned bartender in slurred Vietnamese that he was fine, he just needed to rest his eyes.

When he opened them again, Mac sat on the stool next to him.

“You’re a hard man to find,” he said, one of those playful smiles that Jack had always wanted to kiss on his face, but his eyes... his eyes weren’t right. “What are you drinking?”

“Whiskey,” Jack grunted, squinting when “Mac” held up two fingers to the bartender, who shook his head in disapproval but served the drinks anyway. “You’re not here.”

“Oh, but I am.” Mac took a swallow off his glass, wincing at the burn. “Been looking for you for a long time.”

“You’re lying to me again,” Jack snapped, his tone causing Mac to flinch. “Why can’t you just tell me the truth for once? You’re a... figment of my imagination or somethin’, you ain’t - “

It was a testament to how drunk Jack was that Mac was able to swoop in and grab him by the shirt without getting punched... and then he pulled Jack in for a kiss that tasted like alcohol and sweat and Jack’s brain shut off. It was a quick thing that only lasted a second or two, and then Jack was plunked unceremoniously back on his stool.

“I’m no figment,” Mac said quietly, downing the rest of his drink. “Now let’s talk about why you’ve been running away from me.”


	47. Chapter 47

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is for the always lovely becauseimawinchester!!!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: “I love you.” “Tell me that when you’re sober.”**

At this point in their partnership - fresh out of the Sandbox and in the middle of DXS orientation - Jack Dalton knew three things about Angus MacGyver. He was smart to the point of stupidity, he was ridiculously gorgeous, and he was the world’s biggest lightweight. Jack had discovered the last one tonight after exactly two rounds of tequila shots, and now he was stuck dragging the kid back to their hotel... and a drunk Mac was a _weird_ Mac.

Case in point: “You smell nice.” Mac sniffed him to prove his point, almost all of his weight dangling off the arm Jack had around his shoulders. “Even when you’re all sweaty. Like now.”

“I’m all sweaty because I’m haulin’ your skinny ass back to our room,” Jack grumbled, but he wasn’t_ that_ upset. Tequila had been his idea, and any excuse to be this close to Mac was a good one in his book, save for either of them being injured. “But... thanks, I guess?”

Mac snorted. “So _polite_. What happened to the guy that growled at me all the time?”

_He fell in love with you_, Jack thought. What he said was, “Alcohol mellows me out. I’m actually a very sad drunk.”

A frown on that beautiful face as they traversed the lobby and got in the elevator. “Don’t be sad, Jack. I love you.”

Jack’s traitorous heart bounced into his throat and he accidentally pushed three different floor buttons, none of which were theirs. Blinking back the tears suddenly stinging his eyes, he kept his response clipped and terse, even as he tried not to shake apart. “Tell me that when you’re sober.”


	48. Chapter 48

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For an anon on Tumblr!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: “Why is arson always your first answer?”**

As he jogged through what was once a Wild West reenactment town but was now most definitely just on fire, Jack shook his head. He wasn’t surprised at this point in his relationship with Mac, but resigned to whatever shape the kid’s crazy schemes took. Still... he had to ask. “Why is arson always your first answer?”

“Why is shooting people always yours?” Mac snapped, dragging him behind an honest to God wagon in an attempt to hide from the bad guy of the week. In a lower tone, he amended, “Sorry, that was uncalled for. Arson is generally my answer because it’s the easiest way to distract someone or destroy something.”

“Huh.” Squinting back the way they came, Jack tightened his grip on his gun. “Well, I’d say you accomplished both of those this time around. You think he’ll find us?”

“If he does, I’m sure you’ll take care of it,” Mac said, no doubt whatsoever in his voice or expression. He craned his neck, trying to see the parking lot. “I wonder if - “

At that moment a gigantic explosion rocked the ground, a fireball blasting into the sky from the same direction Mac was looking. They both flinched and curled in on each other, with Jack’s free hand instinctively coming up to shield the back of Mac’s head in case there was falling debris. Thankfully it didn’t reach them, but several vehicle parts hit the dirt a dozen yards away. 

“Huh,” Jack said again. “Guess we’re walking.”


	49. Chapter 49

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Rai_Knightshade!!!
> 
> **Rating: G  
Prompt: “Is that my shirt?” “You mean _our_ shirt?”**

“Honey, I’m home!” Jack called as he came into the house, arms laden with grocery bags. He saw Mac on the couch, his hair damp, and grinned at him. “Hey, you showered - must be feelin’ better, huh?” His eyes ticked down further and he frowned. “Is that my shirt?”

“You mean _our_ shirt?” Mac buried his nose in the collar of Jack’s Iron Maiden shirt and pulled the pile of blankets higher. “Yes, it is. And yeah, I’m feeling... not a hundred percent, but better. Did you get the tea I asked for?”

“Yeah, and I’m plannin’ on putting some nice whiskey in it, fix you right up.” Jack leaned down and kissed Mac’s head on his way to the kitchen. “Sniffles gone?”

“Mostly,” Mac said, making a contented sound as he rubbed the material of the shirt between his thumb and forefinger. It was older than he was and just the right amount of worn out. “Did you really think I wouldn’t steal your clothes when we got together?”

“It wasn’t something I thought about, no,” Jack admitted, coming back a moment later with two steaming hot mugs of spiked tea with honey. He sat down on the couch and allowed Mac to rest his legs in his lap. “But now that I see it... well, it’s kinda cute.”

Mac grinned at him. “Good... because I’m also wearing your sweatpants.”


	50. Chapter 50 - Riley/Desi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Rai-Knightshade!!!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: “Stop moving and let me braid your hair.”**

“Tell me again why wardrobe is always putting me in dresses that go to my ankles?” Desi groused, tugging up the sweetheart neckline on her ball gown. “I hate formal wear like this. What am I gonna do when I have to kill somebody?”

“When?” Riley repeated, amused. She stepped up behind Desi, smiling at their reflections in the mirror before she ran her fingers through Desi’s hair. “Not if?”

“Whenever I go on a op with Mac, it’s always _when_,” Desi muttered, smoothing out her skirt.

Riley smacked at her wrist. “Stop moving and let me braid your hair.” She began folding her girlfriend’s raven-dark hair into a plait, hoping to achieve something she’d glimpsed in a magazine the last time she was at the dentist’s office. Even though Riley braided her own hair all the time, she and Desi had very different hair types. “You look beautiful, by the way.”

Desi glanced at her, mouth screwing up in the way that it always did when someone complimented her. “Thank you,” she said. “I just don’t feel comfortable, that’s all.”

“I know.” Satisfied with her attempt, Riley turned Desi to face her and pressed a kiss to her cheek, not wanting to smudge her lipstick. “All done. Go get ‘em, tiger.”

Desi grinned. “You never have to encourage that.”


	51. Chapter 51

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Kaliene!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: “Move out of my way before I make you.”**

“Mac, this is insane!” Jack exclaimed, grabbing everyone’s favorite bomb nerd by the shoulders to hold him back. “You can’t just barge in there.”

“Jack, _stop_,” Mac growled, blue eyes gone icy with a combination of anger and hurt. His gaze flicked over Jack’s face for a moment before returning over his shoulder to the hotel entrance. “Nikki’s_ in there_, and you can’t expect me not to go in.”

“That’s exactly what I expect,” Jack said mildly, marveling at the fact that despite him and Mac being in a romantic relationship for several years now, Nikki still had her claws in his heart. “You’re flailing, dude.”

“I’m flailing because she has my _daughter_,” Mac snapped, and Jack froze in shock. “Now move out of my way before I make you.”

Jack couldn’t get his voice to work for a moment, but when he did he gripped Mac’s jacket tighter. “Your _daughter_? _That’s_ why we’re here? You and Nikki have a... a kid?”

The uncertainty in Jack’s words made Mac deflate like a balloon, swaying a little in Jack’s hold. “I swear, Jack, I didn’t know,” he whispered, avoiding Jack’s gaze. “She... she started texting me out of nowhere, and at first I didn’t believe her... a part of me still doesn’t. Not until I see it for myself. But if you... if you don’t want to be here - “

Jack yanked him in for a kiss. “Don’t be stupid,” he muttered against Mac’s lips, slack with shock. “You know I’d follow you anywhere.”


	52. Chapter 52

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Becauseimawinchester! This is technically related to another prompt I wrote for Paige but can be read as a stand-alone.
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: “I wasn’t lying when I told you that I loved you.”**

Mac had never seen his life going the way it did, and he had _really_ never pictured himself waking up hungover in a hotel room on Cozumel during DXS orientation, but here he was. And as soon as consciousness reached him he was sprinting to the bathroom, falling to his knees in front of the porcelain bowl and throwing up everything he’d ever eaten. His skin was clammy and hot at the same time, and it took him a moment to remember why he’d gotten drunk in the first place.

Right. He was in love with Jack.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear - in this case, in the doorway to the bathroom in boxer-briefs and nothing else. “You okay, hoss?”

“Fine,” Mac ground out, wiping his lips with the back of his hand before he flushed the toilet and sat back against the cool tile wall. It was only then that he realized he was in his underwear too. “Did you undress me last night?”

“Kinda had to, since you’d managed to sweat through your clothes,” Jack snapped, causing Mac to flinch involuntarily. They still had their bad days, but the hardline bitching had calmed down - mostly. “What the hell were you thinking? A stunt like this is enough to get us both canned.”

“Yeah, well, so is falling in love with your partner,” Mac retorted, throat closing behind the words as he processed them... and remembered saying something similar the night before. “Jack, I - “

Jack was staring at him slack jawed, something like wonder on his face. “You said it again,” he breathed out, all of his anger gone. He took a step forward before crouching down in front of Mac. “I wasn’t sure you would.”

“And... it’s something you wanted to hear?” Mac asked tentatively, something like hope unfurling in his chest. “Because if it’s not, I can - “

Whatever he was about to say was lost in the press of Jack’s lips against his own.


	53. Chapter 53

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For an anon on Tumblr!
> 
> **Rating: E  
**  
Prompt: “When we get home I’m cuffing you to the bed and going down on you all night until my jaw is sore.”

It’d been one hell of a mission. Jack had almost forgotten exactly the kind of chaos that followed Team Phoenix (and Mac specifically) around like moths to flame, and now that he was experiencing it again a part of him longed for the simplicity of tracking Kovacs across the globe. Then he kicked himself, because that would mean being away from Riley and his amazing boyfriend _again_, and that was a damn miserable experience.

Speaking of said amazing boyfriend, Mac was saying goodbye to the others outside Taylor’s hangar. He looked particularly stunning with the orange light of the sunset filtering through his hair, and not for the first time Jack wondered what somebody like Mac wanted with a old spook like Jack. As if in answer to that question, Mac met Jack’s gaze across the tarmac and smiled, saying something that made Desi and Bozer laugh before he headed for the GTO.

“Hey, big guy,” Mac said when he got close enough, wrapping his arms around Jack’s neck. “Ready to leave?”

Jack wasn’t sure what the hell came over him. A wash of affection and possessiveness that made his blood burn, evidently, because he twined his arms around Mac’s waist and murmured against his ear, “When we get home I’m cuffing you to the bed and going down on you all night until my jaw is sore.”

Mac’s breath hitched and he drew back to stare at him with wide eyes. “Then... we should get home. Right now.”

~***~

If you asked him under normal circumstances, Mac would tell you that he preferred giving head to receiving it. There was an exception to that rule, however, and it was Jack Dalton. _Especially_ when handcuffs were involved.

“Oh god, _Jack_,” Mac whined, hardly recognizing his own voice as he tugged futilely at his restraints. Each wrist was cuffed to a bedpost, and there was no way for him to get free... not that he really wanted to. “Fuck, I need...”

Jack pulled off his cock, a string of spit connecting his lower lip to the head. “What do you need, sweetheart? Tell me.”

Mac had already come once but Jack was relentless, licking and sucking at his cock until he’d returned to hardness. “Please... fingers?”

“Of course, baby,” Jack breathed out, grabbing the lube where he’d put it on the mattress before they started their fun. He slicked up two, knowing Mac liked it when it burned a little if he’d already gotten off. “Here you go.”

Mac’s toes curled and he let out a low groan as those thick fingers pushed inside him, forcing him open in the best possible way. His dick twitched, unattended, and he almost screamed when Jack took him into his throat again, swallowing hard. “_Fuck_, Jack, I - I’m gonna - “

And he did, and Jack took every last drop. His fingers crooked and teased and Mac’s eyes rolled back in his head, the cycle starting all over again.


	54. Chapter 54

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For saintsurvivor!
> 
> **Rating: E  
Prompt: "Did you touch yourself while I was gone?"**

Jack _ached_.

That was the only word for it. Every part of him was strung-out and lax, which was interesting since he tied to the bed by his ankles. There was only one person he’d ever trusted enough to do this to him, and that was the same person who was responsible for the angry purple of his erection, held in place by a cock ring for not the first or second but the _third_ time that night. It hurt, needing to come so badly but knowing he wasn’t allowed to, even if it would be simple to reach down and take off the ring...

No, he couldn’t do that. Mac was right outside the bedroom door, talking to Matty about... something, Jack wasn’t sure what and didn’t really care. The world could’ve been burning and he would’ve died with a smile on his face, floating in this fuzzy, warm place where the only concern he had was whether Mac would let him come.

Eyes slipping shut, Jack waited.

And waited.

It could’ve been minutes or hours before he heard the door open, Mac’s bare feet on the hardwood. “Jack,” he murmured, and that _voice_, Jack would never get enough of it. “Did you touch yourself while I was gone?”

“No,” Jack mumbled, gasping when Mac’s elegant fingers traced a line down the center of his chest. “_Please_, baby. I was good.”

“You were so good,” Mac agreed, skimming circles around his bellybutton. “Should I reward you? Or make you wait some more?” Jack sobbed at the thought, which wasn’t entirely unpleasant, and Mac soothed him: “Shh, it’s okay. I won’t torture you... any more than you want, anyway.” His hand wrapped around Jack’s cock, stroking his oversensitive flesh, thumb digging into the slit. “But that’s the question, Jack. Do you want more?”

“Yes.” The word dropped from Jack’s mouth without his consent, hips pushing into the little bit of contact Mac allowed. “Yes... don’t stop. Not... not yet.”

He opened his eyes in time to see Mac grin, white and almost feral in the near-dark of the room. In his free hand was a dildo, somehow already slick with lube. “Good answer.”


	55. Chapter 55 - Russ/Mac

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For thegoldenerin!
> 
> **Rating: E  
**  
Prompt: “I don’t care how good it feels you better not cum until I tell you to.”

Russ Taylor was not a good man. This wasn’t something he’d disputed, just something of a known fact: the sky was blue, the earth was round, and Russ Taylor was someone you didn’t want to meet in a dark alley. From what he’d heard he was far from the first mongrel that the Phoenix had taken in, but the only one who’d bought it, and while that should’ve brought him comfort, it didn’t. Why? Because he worked with - and was now _sleeping with_ \- a literal ray of sunshine.

Enter Angus MacGyver.

“Russ?” Angus asked, snapping him out of his thoughts. He was sprawled inelegant and nude across Russ’s still-clothed lap, ass up, and he’d turned his head enough for one blue eye to peer at him. “Uh... were you going to spank me? Because I kinda thought that’s what we agreed to.”

“Sorry, darling,” Russ said after another moment’s delay, reaching over to card his fingers through Angus’s messy hair. “I just... got lost in my own head for a moment.”

Angus frowned and sat up, straddling Russ’s thighs and tilting his head like a confused puppy. “That doesn’t sound good. In fact, it sounds like something I’d do, which is how I know it’s not good.” He chewed his lower lip for a moment, then reached for the front of Russ’s jeans, palming the bulge there. “What if I take care of you first?”

“Angus, you don’t have to - ” Russ started, but his brain short-circuited when those clever fingers opened his pants and slipped inside to caress his hard-on. “_Fuck_, okay, maybe you do.”

Mac hummed, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “I thought you might say that.” He pulled Russ’s cock from the confines of his jeans and stroked it, leaning in to mouth at his jaw. “But I don’t care how good it feels, you better not come until I tell you to.”

Russ’s eyes rolled back in his head and he clutched Mac as close as he dared. “Yes, sir.”


	56. Chapter 56 - Russ/Mac

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For 5fivebrothers on Tumblr!
> 
> **Rating: E  
**  
Prompt: "I see the gift I got you fits well."

Mac couldn’t stop staring at his hand. His left hand to be precise, because despite what countless people thought precision was something he valued. Normally looking at his hands wasn’t something he did (fingers were too long, palms too wide) but with the sleek ebony ring adorning his finger he found it almost impossible to look away.

“I see the gift I got you fits well,” Russ said as he strolled back into the bedroom, totally naked and carefree, like he didn’t just turn Mac’s world upside-down with a simple question. He held out a water bottle. “Here. Hydration.”

“Thanks,” Mac mumbled, taking the bottle and slugging down half of it. Then he all but tackled Russ to the bed, capturing the surprised sound he made with his lips. “I can’t believe you _proposed _during sex.”

“Really?” Russ grinned, rolling them over so he was on top, one of his calloused hands sliding between Mac’s legs. “Because it seems exactly like something I would do, so...”

Mac made a whining sound he wasn’t proud of when Russ pushed two fingers inside him, where he was already wet from round one. “You... I wasn’t expecting it, that’s a-all.”

Russ’s expression softened, even as his fingers brushed Mac’s prostate. “Well, if it’s any consolation, I wasn’t sure you’d say yes. You have to admit, darling, you could do an awful lot better than me.”

“I don’t want to,” Mac said, not bothering to sugarcoat it. He pulled Russ down by the neck for another kiss, hooking a leg around his waist. “There isn’t anything wrong with you, and even if there was... I don’t want anyone else.” A nip to Russ’s lower lip. “Now get back inside me already.”


	57. Chapter 57

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For my partner in crime, blackrose1002. ;)
> 
> **Rating: M  
Prompt: “I wonder what your girlfriend/boyfriend would do if they knew what you were doing right now.”**

“I wonder what your boyfriend would do if he knew what you were doing right now,” the obnoxious businessman Mac was supposed to be seducing said to him, totally unaware that Jack (the boyfriend in question) could hear him over Mac’s comm. “I bet he’d think you were a slut.”

“Or a genius,” Mac said, slipping free of his grasp and away from his lips in time for the Phoenix tac team to bust down the door to the hotel room. “Too bad you had a kink for guys in relationships, or you might’ve gotten away with it.” With that he headed out of the room, the elevator dinging as he pressed the call button.

Jack met Mac as he was walking out of the hotel lobby, reaching into his ear to disable his comm before he pulled him around the building and into an alley. “Listenin’ to you with him drove me crazy,” he growled, pressing his lips to Mac’s pulse and boxing him in against the nearest wall. “Smarmy little prick.”

“I hope you mean him and not me,” Mac drawled, lifting a thigh to grind it against Jack’s erection. “For what it’s worth, that sucked. His mouth tasted like something died.”

“It probably did,” Jack muttered, reaching down to palm Mac through his dress pants. “I don’t know if I can wait until we get home.”

Mac grinned, nipping at Jack’s jaw and rocking against his hand. “So don’t. I’m not against a little alley sex.”

Jack groaned like he’d been shot and sank to his knees.


	58. Chapter 58 - Russ/Desi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one for blackrose1002!
> 
> **Rating: E  
Prompt: “I wanna fuck you right against the glass so everyone can see how good you take it.”**

“Oh god, Desiree,” Russ groaned out as he slid inside her for the third time that evening, holding her up against the wall in his living room, her legs wrapped around his waist. “You feel so fucking _good_.”

“You’re... not so bad yourself,” Desi gasped, nails biting into the bare skin of his shoulders. She was raw and overexposed in the best way, and had lost track of how many times he’d made her come. “Not sure why you do so much talking, though.”

“Are you saying you don’t like it when I talk?” Russ pressed his face into her neck, licking and biting at her pulse, beard scraping her in just the right way. “Or... maybe you like it too much?”

Desi felt herself flush, clenching around his cock on his neck rock into her. “Yeah, right. Because your accent is _so_ hot.”

Russ chuckled darkly, slamming into her with a little more force. “You forget, darling, that you’re talking to a trained psy-ops expert,” he whispered against her ear, keeping one arm hooked under her knee while his other hand moved to rub her clit. “And even if you weren’t, I’d know you were being sarcastic in an effort to hide how you truly felt.” A few more well-timed thrusts had her quaking, but it was Russ’s words that tipped her over the edge: “I wanna fuck you right against the glass so everyone can see how good you take it. Come all over you in front of the whole city, make you mine.”

She let out a little whimper, spasming and helpless in a way that she’d only allow herself to be with him... and all she wanted was more.


	59. Chapter 59 - Russ/Desi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For blackrose1002!
> 
> **Rating: M  
Prompt: "You know, there wasn’t a single thing to eat in the kitchen until you walked in.”**

“Russ?” Desi called as she walked into his stupid McMansion in Malibu, two bags of groceries in her arms. He never kept much beyond eggs and bread on hand, so whenever she spent the weekend at his place she came prepared. “Where are you?”

“Kitchen, darling!” was her answer.

“Well, at least this time there isn’t any smoke,” Desi muttered to herself, wandering in further until she saw Russ standing naked as the day he was born in front of his talking refrigerator. “You know people can hack those, right? See you naked?”

Russ went very still, then reached for the junk drawer and slapped a piece of duct tape over the camera in the door. “I hadn’t thought of that.” He spun around and looked her up and down as she put the bags on the counter. “You know, there wasn’t a single thing to eat in the kitchen until you walked in.”

Desi rolled her eyes but she couldn’t stop herself from smiling. “Does that line work on all the ladies?”

Those dark eyes went serious, and suddenly Russ was sweeping her into his arms and pulling her in for a kiss. “There are no other ladies,” he mumbled, and just the feeling of his body pressed against hers was enough to make Desi flush all over, the bastard. “Just you.” He lifted her up by the waist until she sat on the counter, mouthing at her jaw, hands sliding over her body and making her throb in her jeans. “And I was serious about the eating thing.”

Desi’s eyes widened. “_Oh_. I thought you were just being a smartass.” She popped the button on her pants and wriggled them down along with her underwear, kicking everything off with her boots. Then she grinned at him and put both hands in his hair, pushing him down towards her crotch. “Don’t let me stop you.”


	60. Chapter 60 - Russ/Mac

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For an anon on tumblr!
> 
> **Rating: E  
Prompt: “Come here, baby, let Mommy/Daddy take care of you.”**

Mac couldn’t remember a time in his life when he was more turned on.But that was just what Russ Taylor did, wasn’t it? Turned him on and left him wanting more? What had started as an adrenaline-fueled (and ill-advised) office fling transformed into so much more, and now Mac was spread out in Russ’s luxurious bed, hard and aching.

“God, you’re gorgeous,” Russ murmured, trailing a single finger along the inside of Mac’s thigh, when what he really wanted touched was his cock or his balls or his ass. “Just... stunning. And even more so when I make you beg.”

“You can’t _make_ me do anything,” was Mac’s response, chewing on the inside of his cheek. There was something he'd wanted to try for a while now, but he wasn’t sure if Russ would like it. “But I_ want _to beg... Daddy.”

Russ’s dark eyes flashed, and for a second Mac was afraid he’d made a grievous error. Then he was being kissed breathless, until his toes curled and his back arched. “You,” Russ panted when he broke away, thumb smoothing over the creases in Mac’s forehead, “are going to be the death of me.”

“I hope not,” Mac said, turning his face into Russ’s palm. “Because I prefer you alive.” His breathing hitched when Russ hauled him into his arms, until he was sitting in his lap. “Russ?”

“Come here, baby.” Russ rubbed his beard against his cheek and curled his fingers around his cock. “Let Daddy take care of you.”


	61. Chapter 61 - Russ/Desi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another prompt, another anon!
> 
> **Rating: M  
Prompt: “Do you know how beautiful you are? It’s truly distracting.”**

Desi tried and failed to catch her breath, sprawled on her back in Russ Taylor’s (in her _boss’s_) plush bed. Her tattooed skin was filmed with sweat, the insides of her thighs sticky with come, and maybe it was just the endorphins but she’d never been happier. “Damn, old man. Didn’t think your stamina was that good.” When Russ didn’t respond to her teasing, she turned her head and found him staring at her. “What?”

“Do you know how beautiful you are?” Russ asked, which... what? His fingertips skimmed down her arm, raising goosebumps in their wake. “It’s truly distracting.”

“I... are you okay?” Desi pushed herself up on her elbows and raised an eyebrow. “Did you hit your head while I was riding you?”

Russ cracked a smile and sat up too, his thumb trailing over her jaw. “I’m perfectly fine, Desiree. I was simply asking you a question. And... perhaps paying you a compliment.”

Desi felt her cheeks flush and glanced away. “No,” she murmured, almost unaware she’d spoken. “I don’t think of myself that way.” She cleared her throat. “The way I look is... a tool to get a job done, usually. And before that... well, I was the only Vietnamese girl in my ballet class, and my in Girl Scout troop, and on my softball team... you can see where I’m going with this.”

Russ’s easy expression turned into a frown. “I’m sure I can’t.”

Her other eyebrow rose to join the first. “Do I really need to explain casual racism to you?”

He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, then wrapped both his (stupidly strong) arms around her, lips finding her cheek. “No, you don’t. But I would like a list of names of people to reeducate.” He stroked her shoulder. “I’m aware that anyone could tell you this, darling, but... you truly are beautiful.”

“Thank you.” Desi took a moment to enjoy that before she socked him in the arm. “Sap.”


	62. Chapter 62 - Riley/Desi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yet another anon request!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: “Is that a thong?”**

Desi Nguyen didn’t get surprised very often. Between her intelligence and her training, it was hard to pull one over on her... but she was finding out that the exception to this rule was Riley Davis.

“Is that a thong?” Desi asked, nearly dropping her glass of water when Riley bent over to pull a vinyl record from Desi’s collection. Her brain short circuited when she saw that skimpy piece of blue material peeking out from the waistband of Riley’s sweatpants. “You... what?”

“Like it?” Riley asked, wiggling her ass teasingly before straightening to place the record on the player. Credence Clearwater Revival started playing, low but insistent, and she turned around to wiggle her eyebrows next. “Thought I’d try something new.”

Desi swallowed hard and put down her water, coming over to place her hands on Riley’s hips. Her fingers - calloused and clumsy around the other woman, always - slipped under her waistband to feel at the lace. “This is... wow. I’m not coming up with words.”

Riley laughed and nudged her toward the couch, until she was sprawled out on her back and Riley was straddling her hips. “That’s sort of the effect I was going for.” She wrinkled her nose. “I’m glad it worked, too, because this thing is _uncomfortable_.”

Desi grinned up at her, yanking her down by her sweatshirt with one hand to kiss her, the other one groping her ass. “How about I take it off for you, then?”


	63. Chapter 63 - Russ/Mac

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For an anon!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: Transform**

“You’ve changed,” Mac observed, after about a year of knowing Russ Taylor and a month of dating him. They were sprawled in his bed, naked and sated, and Mac had his head on Russ’s shoulder, one arm across his abdomen. “Since I met you, I mean.”

“Have I?” Russ sounded... a little surprised, and genuinely curious. “How’s that?”

“That day you stalked me across the UCLA campus, I thought you were a pompous dick,” Mac started, smiling when Russ chuckled, not offended in the slightest because they both knew it was true. “And I kept thinking that through everything with Codex... but something shifted after those missiles almost killed me and Riley, didn’t it?”

Russ tensed underneath him, tightening his hold on Mac and pressing his lips to his hair. “It did, and I can never apologize enough for it - “

“Russ, hey,” Mac interjected gently, sitting up enough to look him in the eye. “We’ve been over that, yeah? And how we both made mistakes?” When Russ nods, Mac smiles again, wider this time. “Then we don’t need to rehash it. My point is... you transformed, in the best way possible. Opened up more. And I don’t think this - “ he gestured between them “ - would’ve happened otherwise. Unless we were hate fucking.”

Russ’s expression went adoring and Mac almost melted into the bed. “Oh, darling, I could never hate you.” A pause. “Even when you insist on destroying a new kitchen appliance every week.”


	64. Chapter 64 - Desi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For an anon who likes Desi! <3
> 
> **Rating: T  
**  
Prompt: Blame

Desi sat in the shadows of the hospital room, curled up on herself in an uncomfortable plastic chair. Across from her were two beds, one for Riley and one for Mac. Their occupants were still and silence reigned, save for the beeping of monitors and hiss of oxygen. Dried blood caked Desi’s clothes and hands, and no matter how hard she tried to stop it her mind kept replaying what had happened earlier in the day.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered to the dead air, her gaze skipping over Riley’s bruised face and the bandages covering the wounds to Mac’s arms. “I should’ve been faster, I shouldn’t have let them take you - “ Her voice broke and she bowed her head, involuntary tears slipping down her cheeks. “There’s nobody to blame for this but me.”

From the doorway came Jack’s exhausted rasp: “I wouldn’t say that, Nguyen. Pretty sure I was there too.” He crutched into the room, broken leg casted up to the knee, and took the chair next to her. “And if they were awake, they’d tell us we did the best we could.” A snort. “I personally think that’s crap, but it’d be nice to hear.”

Desi sniffled and went willingly when Jack put his arm around her shoulders, careful not to put pressure on his bruised ribs. “They’re gonna be okay, right?”

“Of course they are,” Jack told her, and they both pretended they didn’t hear the hitch in the words. “We’ve got skee ball this weekend. They wouldn’t miss that.”


	65. Chapter 65 - Riley/Desi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Give me all the anon prompts!!!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: Games**

Riley tried for the millionth time to pull out of her bonds, but the effort was useless. Between the body blows and her broken nose she had a hard time drawing in air, her muscles aching. She squinted under the single yellow lightbulb of the basement, just barely able to make out Desi a few feet away in her own shackles. “Dez? You good?”

Desi spat blood on the floor and nodded, toes dragging along the concrete floor making her look like a gory version of the ballerina she never was. “Yeah.” She didn’t sound good, voice raspy, and she was stripped to her bra and underwear just like Riley. “We need to make a plan before that psycho comes back - “

As if on cue the transparent wall at the other end of the basement lit up from behind, illuminating everything in white incandescent... including the various motorized devices their tormenter was using to injure them in her twisted games. They didn’t know what she wanted beyond their pain and suffering, and that, Riley thought, was the scariest part. With no demands there was no game to play, and no game to play meant trying to survive until the Phoenix realized they were missing.

And since they’d disappeared after a date on a Friday night... help could be a long ways off.


	66. Chapter 66

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More anon prompts! MORE!!!
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: Poison**

“Mac!” Jack dropped to his knees on the laboratory floor next to his partner, heedless of the chaos of Desi and Riley fighting off goons in the next room. His focus was solely on the two holes in the back of Mac’s hand, the skin around them swelling and purpling rapidly. “Mac, talk to me! What do I do?”

“Shit,” Mac whispered, gritting his teeth and writhing a little on the floor. “Nothing... nothing you can do, big guy. I need anti-venom, and we don’t have any here.”

Jack stared at him for a moment, dumbstruck, then looked at Frankie. “You’re a genius too, right? There’s gotta be _something_!”

Frankie brought her hands up to her head like she wanted to pull on her hair but thought better of it. “I - I can try to distill some anti-venom, but it’s gonna take some time - “

“Do it!” Jack interjected, waving her away. “I’ve got him.” He waited until Frankie hurried off before he put his hand in Mac’s hair, carding it away from his eyes. “I’m here, hoss. I’m right here, okay?” He winced when Mac started to shake, a scream caught in his throat. “Let it out, man. Don’t need to hide anything from me.”

That didn’t mean Jack didn’t feel a knife in his heart when the kid started to cry, though.


	67. Chapter 67

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For saintsurvivor! (Trigger warning for suicide kinda???)
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: If only**

Mac sat with his eyes closed and his face turned up toward the sun, wondering why the hell life was so fucking unfair. He wasn’t one to lament about his own problems often, but it was impossible to ignore the pattern of tragedy that followed him around like his own black cloud. Before they’d gotten the news about Jack, he was beginning to think that the only way for anyone he cared about to stay alive was for them to just... disappear.

But Jack did that, and he died anyway.

His back was pressed against the cool granite of his best friend’s headstone, which sat next to Jack Senior’s much older one like a silent sentinel. “I’m sorry,” Mac murmured, not opening his eyes even as the breeze moved the nearby tree branches, dappling his eyelids with leaf-shaped shadows. “I’m sorry I couldn’t keep him safe, sir. I’d like to say I did my best... but that would be a lie.” A sigh. “And I’m tired of lying. To myself and everyone else. If only I’d been there...”

Mac licked his dry lips, thumb rubbing over the matte finish of the pistol in his jacket pocket. The gun and the jacket both belonged to Jack, once upon a time, and he pulled out the weapon and set it in his lap. It was a Glock 19, one of the most common handguns on the face of the earth, and yet in Mac’s hand it felt like something special. Something sacred.

“I should’ve been there,” Mac continued, his throat constricting like it did every time he thought about Jack’s death. “And because I wasn’t, he died alone, which was one of his biggest fears. His last moments were probably agonizing, and... and we always said we’d go kaboom together.” 

He wrapped his hand around the Glock’s checkered grip, the weight of it reassuring somehow. The funny thing about Glocks, he recalled, was that they didn’t have manual safeties. All you had to do was pull the trigger, and just like that -

Silence.


	68. Chapter 68

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For my angst queen partner in crime, blackrose1002.
> 
> **Rating: T  
Prompt: Bleeding Out**

With fiery pain lancing through his gut Mac collapsed to the floor of the warehouse, his hands flying to the wound out of pure reflex. He felt the warm copper of his own blood, smelled in the air, along with squishy unknowns that his brain reminded him were organs. The ceiling above him spun and he turned his head to the side to vomit, which only made the agony worse.

“Mac!” Gunshots preluded Jack’s arrival at his side, sinking to his knees and leaning over him in his black tactical gear. “Oh god, no no no, _Mac_ \- “ He grabbed the radio at his shoulder even as one of his hands joined Mac’s in a crimson tangle over his abdomen. “Matty, I need a medical evac _now_, Mac’s been stabbed with... with _something_, there’s too much blood!”

Mac’s eyes threatened to roll back in his head but he fought it, knowing if he lost consciousness now he probably wouldn’t wake up again. And before he and Jack got together that might’ve been all right... but not now. “Jack,” he whispered, squeezing at his partner’s fingers. “Jack, l-look at me.”

Jack did as he was told, trying and failing to force a smile. “It’s gonna be okay, darlin’. Help’s on the way, you’ve just gotta hang in there.”

“Trying.” Despite saying that, Mac’s vision began to gray at the edges. His last, fervent hope as a lake of blood spread beneath him was that he would get to see Jack’s face again. “Sorry.”

“Mac?” Darkness took him, but he heard Jack’s anguish anyway. “_Mac_!”


End file.
